Skip to main content

Full text of "The Improvement Era"

See other formats


II 


' 


* 


..:,->:"■■ 


^W&V: 


p: 


I    ' 


m^mmii 


gMMMmcu,  7938 


SEE  PAGE  706 


'O-sJ^P*' 


* 


-  £n  * 


DECEMBER,   1938 

VOLUME    41  NUMBER    12 

RETURN     POSTAGE     GUARftNTFED 
SALT    LAKE     CITY.    UTAH 


"  Golden  Shell ! "  I  scream 
"Go  there  yourself!"  he  splutters 


Mr.  Bruggle  can't  hardly  hear  it 
thunder. 

But  I  didn't  know  that,  the  first 
time  he  drives  in.  I  flash  my  "wel- 
come" smile  and  he  says,  "Check 
the  oil." 

"You're  low,"  I  report,  in  a  min- 
ute. 

"Then  I  don't  need  any,"  he 
answers. 

''No,  no"— I  shout— "It's  way 
down!" 

"Who's  a  clown?"  he  frowns 
back  at  me. 

I  sail  on,  louder,  while  people 
passing  by  stop  to  listen. 

"It's  not  only  low,  but  you  need 
oil  that  flows  fast.  When  you  start 


your  engine,  if  your  oil  is  sluggish, 
it  don't  get  up  out  of  the  crank - 
case — " 

"I  am  NOT  cranky!"  he  shouts, 
mad  by  now. 

I  struggle  on:  "Look,  you  only 
have  to  pay  25^  for  a  quart  of 
Golden  Shell  Oil— GOLDEN 
SHELL,"  I  scream. 

"You  go  there  yourself,"  he 
splutters,  and  drives  off. 

That's  how  I  got  in  bad  with 
Mr.  Bruggle  and  had  to  write  him 
a  letter  to  explain  things.  I  got  a 
chance  to  tell  him  how  fast  Golden 
Shell  flows,  too — without  him 
shoutin'  back  at  me.  Now  we're 
good  friends,  and  he  calls  me  the 
slick  salesman — get  it? 

Sincerely, 


ferv- 


W 


IfZ/Oftf . . . 


^A 


S  the  flaming  light  of  the  humble  candle  reflects  the 
Yuletide  spirit,  so  your  home  reflects  you.  Your  dwell- 
ing is  the  show  window  of  your  personality. 

Christmastide  is  friend- visiting  time.  See  to  it  that  your  home 
portrays  to  those  whose  association  you  cherish,  the  best  that  is 
within  you. 

Reshingle  .  .  .  redecorate  .  .  .  build  a  new  amusement  room, 
bedroom,  porch  ...  or  generally  remodel,  through  us  with: 

NO  DOWN  PAYMENT— NO  MORTGAGE 
MONTHLY  PAYMENTS  AS  LOW  AS  $5.00 

SUGAR  HOUSE  LUMBER  &  HARDWARE  COMPANY 


1 164  East  21st  South  Street 
M.  O.  ASHTON,  President 


Hyland  555 
HORACE  B.  RICHARDS,  Manager 


QJor 
Christinas . . . 


ERA  Subscription 


There  is  no  finer  gift  for  your  family  or  neighbors  at  home. 
There  is  no  more  appropriate  gift  for  your  friends  or  loved 
ones  who  are  away. 

FOR  THE  ENTIRE  YEAR 

A  $2.00  subscription  to  the  Improvement  Era  will  be  a  reminder 
of  your  thoughtfulness  all  through  the  twelve  months,  and  will 
keep  those  to  whom  you  send  it  in  touch  with  what  the  Church  is 
thinking  and  doing,  and  what  the  authorities  are  saying  and  plan- 
ning. 

"THE  ERA  TELLS  THE  CHURCH  ABOUT  THE  CHURCH" 

Tear  out,  fill  in,  and  mail  this  Christmas  order  blank  NOW.-  The 
,vEra"  will  send  an  attractive  Christmas  gift  card  to  each  one  for 
whom  you  subscribe,  giving  your  name  as  donor. 


An  ideal 
Christmas  Gift 
for  Home  and 
Abroad. 


Cfjristmag  <§iit  0vhtv  Jform 

THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA 

50  NORTH  MAIN  STREET 

SALT  LAKE  CITY,  UTAH 

Enclosed  in  this  envelope  is  $.— in  payment  ior  gift  sub- 
scriptions listed  below. 


Send  to 
Address 
Citv 


.^.XXiV.^J     \^A 


State 


Send  to 
Address 
City 


'■—----.- - 

.._;.:.; ■.__  ___...;. .;. 

State  


. 


Sent  by 


Address     , [ 

birl 


.->.-... . h-iii- 


City 


._....-,.......—... 


Ward 


f 

- — * 

.Stake  rajfisiwrfq 


Subscription    rate — $2.00    each    year    for    °ach    subscription. 


/Mmprouement  Ira 


'The  Glory  of  God  is  Intelligence' 


DECEMBER,    1938 


VOLUME    41 


NUMBER    12 


"THE    VOICE    OF    THE    CHURCH" 

OFFICIAL  ORGAN  OF  THE  PRIESTHOOD  QUORUMS, 
MUTUAL  IMPROVEMENT  ASSOCIATIONS,  DEPART- 
MENT OF  EDUCATION.  MUSIC  COMMITTEE.  WARD 
TEACHERS,  AND  OTHER  AGENCIES  OF  THE  CHURCH 
OF     JESUS     CHRIST     OF     LATTER-DAY     SAINTS. 


Heber  J. 

Grant, 

John  A. 

Widtsoe, 

Editors 

Richard  L.  Evans, 

Managing 

Editor 

Marba  C 

.  Josephson, 

Associate  Editor 

George  Q. 

Morris,  General  Mgr. 

Lucy  G.  Ce 

nnon.  Associate  Mgr. 

J.  K.  Ortor 

,  Business  Mgr. 

JhsL  fodikftdu  (poqsL 

The  "Still  Small  Voice" Heber  J.  Grant  712 

Evidences  and  Reconciliations — Part  5  John  A.  Widtsoe  713 

Chastity J.  Reuben  Clark,  Jr.  714 

Portrait  of  a  Young  Man — Part  2 Rachel  Grant  Taylor  716 

"Thy  Neighbor  As  Thyself" Rufus  K.  Hardy  718 

Britain  Looks  at  the  Mormons Richard  L.  Evans  719 

The  Story  of  Our  Hymns George  D.  Pyper 

Looking  Toward  1947 Rose  W.  Bennett 

The  Church  in  New  York  City William  L.  Woolf 


Church  Moves  On : 734 

Helping  Others  to  Help  Them- 
selves,   William    Mulder 737 

Priesthood:      Melchizedek -742 

Ward  Teaching  745 

Aaronic * 746 

Genealogical 748 

Mutual  Messages:  Executives, 
Tribute  to  Martha  H.  Tingey, 
Heber  J.   Grant . 749 


725 

726 

728 

Christmas    Poems  750 

Circulation  of  Library  Books, 

Aurelia  Bennion 750 

M  Men 751 

Gleaners .751 

Juniors  752 

Bee-Hive 752 

Scouts   - 753 

Field  Photos  751,  753 


SfuudoL  J>&cdu/t£A, 


On  the  Street  "Called  Straight" Joseph  Jacobs  722 

The  Protestors  of  Christendom — IX James  L.  Barker  724 

Wine  is  a  Mocker ..Eva  Willes  Wangsgard  732 


Introducing  Lionel  Banks,  Wes- 
ton   Nordgren 708 

Exploring  the  Universe,  Frank- 
lin S.  Harris,  Jr 709 

Homing,    What  Books    Shall   I 


Give,  Marba  C.  Josephson... .738 

Here's  How  .740 

On  the  Book  Rack 741 

Index   to   Advertisers 760 

Your  Page  and  Ours  ...768 


fijdiiouodA, 


Gift  to  Youth— 1938 Richard  L.  Evans  736 

A  Christmas  Thought ...Marba  C.  Josephson  736 

J>jctwn,  (posdJiy,  Qjwa&w&iiL  (Pju%%Isl 

The  Return  of  Solomon  Crosley Olive  M.  Nicholes.720 

The  Native  Blood— Part  2 Albert  R.  Lyman  723 

Commonplace  Things  Roberta  Piatt  731 

Frontispiece:    Christmas  Cycle,  Poetry  Page  733 

Blanche  Kendall  McKey 71 1       Scriptural   Crossword   Puzzle. ...766 


JhsL  QdvsJv 


THIS  Christmas  window  by  H.  Armstrong  Roberts  suggests  the  warmth  and  hospi- 
tality of  Christmas — at  which  time  it  is  to  be  hoped  there  will  be  none  left  outside 
the  window,  where  frost  and  disappointment  chill  hearts  and  spirits  as  well  as  the 
physical  man. 

706 


(DoljouL  Jiyww— 

How  the  "still  small  voice"  operates 

among  the  children  of  God? 

Page  712 

How  old  the  earth  is? Page  713 

What  the  various  beliefs  are  con- 
cerning the  time  of  creation?.... 
Page   713 

If  we  may  safely  outgrow  chastity? 
Page   714 

What  the  London  "Daily  Express" 
and  Britain's  "Cavalcade"  have  to 
say  about  the  Mormons? ...  Page  719 

How  the  Church  is  progressing  in 
the  ancient  city  of  Damascus? 
Page   722 

Why  and  where  John  Huss  was 
burned?    Page  724 

What  beautification  steps  are  being 
recommended  for  the  West's 
1947  celebration?   • Page  726 

Where  the  Gospel  was  first  preach- 
ed in  New  York  City  and  how  the 
Church  operates  there  today? — 
Page   728 

Why  it  is  said  that  "Wine  is  a 
Mocker"?  Page  732 

What  are  "Deseret  Industries"  and  — 
the  "Deseret  Clothing  Factory"? 
Page   737 

What  biography  of  one  of  the  Pres- 
idents of  the  Church  will  soon  be 
released?  - Page  741 

What  new  book  is  being  published 
containing  the  writings  of  Har- 
rison R.  Merrill?  .       Pages  741,  763 

What  children's  books  are  recom- 
mended for  Christmas? 

Pages   738   to   740 

What  novel  quorum  projects  are 
under  way? Page   742 

EXECUTIVE    AND    EDITORIAL 

OFFICES: 

50  North  Main  Street,  Salt  Lake  City.  Utah 

Copyright  1938.  by  the  Young  Men's  Mutual 
Improvement  Association  Corporation  of  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints. 
All  rights  reserved.  Subscription  price.  $2.00 
a  year,   in   advance;  20c  Single  Copy. 

Entered  at  the  Post  Office,  Salt  Lake  City. 
Utah,  as  second-class  matter.  Acceptance  for 
mailing  at  special  rate  of  postage  provided 
for  in  section  1103,  Act  of  October,  1917. 
authorized  July  2.   1918. 

The  Improvement  Era  is  not  responsible 
for  unsolicited  manuscripts,  but  welcomes  con- 
tributions. All  manuscripts  must  be  accompanied 
by  sufficient  postage  for  delivery  and  return. 

NATIONAL  ADVERTISING 
REPRESENTATIVES 

Francis  M.  Mayo,  Salt  Lake  City 

Edward  S.  Townsend,  San  Francisco 

George  T.  Hopewell  &  Co.,  New  York 

E.  J.  Powers  &  Co.,  Chicago 

Hil.  F.  Best,  Detroit 

MEMBER  OF  THE  AUDIT  BUREAU  OF 
CIRCULATIONS 

A  MAGAZINE  FOR  EVERY 
MEMBER   OF  THE   FAMILY 


Two  Great 

New  Ford  Cars 

with  the  look  and  feel  of  a  higher  price! 


At  New  Lower  Prices . .  .With  Big  Hydraulic  Brakes .  v.  Big 
Roomy  Bodies . . .  Smooth  V-  8  Power . . .  Triple  -  Cushioned 
Comfort  and  New  Riding  Quiet ...  Clean  Stream -Lined 
Backs  with  Increased  Luggage  Space  ...  The  Ford 
Ride-Stabilizing   Chassis  ...  Distinctive  New  Styling! 

SEE    YOUR    FORD    DEALER     TODAY 


THE     IMPROVEMENT    ERA,     DECEMBER,     1938 


NEW   BUS 
SERVICE 

Between  Salt  Lake  City  and  Payson 

Effective  December  5, 1938 

"LJERE'S  big  news  for  Utah  travelers!    Beginning 

^  Monday,  December  5,  you  can  travel  locally 

by  Union  Pacific  bus  between  any  points  in  Utah 

.     south  of  Salt  Lake  City  (including  Salt  Lake  City). 

Enjoy  the  comfort  of  smoothriding  Super-Coaches 

Sample  LOW  FareS     on  every  trip  through  this  territory! 


(From  Salt  Lake  City) 

American  Fork  $  .65 
Pleasant  Grove  .70 
Provo  ...,;:.-;..  .90 
Spanish  Fork  ..     1.10 

Payson  ±~~ 1.30 

Nephi  ...„.:.:....    1.70 

Fillmore    ._..    2.90 

Cedar  City  __    5.00 

Las  Vegas  8.00 

Los  Angeles  ....    9.95 

Portland  -~  13.00 

Chicago  .. —  24.50 


3  convenient  schedules  daily  each  way 

SOUTHBOUND 


Lv. 
Lv. 
Lv. 
Lv. 
Lv. 
Lv. 
Lv. 
Ar. 


Lv. 
Lv. 
Lv. 
Lv. 
Lv. 
Lv. 
Lv. 
Ar. 


Salt   Lake   City 10:30  a.  m.  7:30  p.  m. 

Provo  11:56  a.  m.  8:56  p.  m. 

Spanish  Fork 12:16  p.  m.  9:16  p.  m. 

Payson   „12:28  p.  m.  9:28  p.  m. 

Nephi   -  1:35  p.m.  10:11p.m. 

Cedar  City 5:49  p.  m.  2:30  a.  m. 

Las   Vegas _ 10:15  p.  m.  6:00  a.  m. 

Los  Angeles 6:30  a.  m.  2:45  p.  m. 

NORTHBOUND 

Los  Angeles 9:00  a.  m.  6:00  p.  m. 

Las  Vegas  6:20  p.  m.  2:25  a.  m. 

Cedar  City 12:22  a.  m.  8:30  a.  m. 

Nephi  4:11  a.  m.  12:59  p.  m. 

Payson  4:49  a.  m.  1:34  p.  m. 

Spanish  Fork 5:01  a.  m.  1:46  p.  m. 

Provo  - 5:28  a.  m.  2:13  p.  m. 

Salt  Lake  City 6:45  a.  m.  3:30  p.  m. 


1:00  a.  m. 
2:21  a.  m. 
2:41  a.  m. 
2:53  a.  m. 
3:30  a.  m. 
8:30  a.  m. 
12:35  p.  m. 
8:45  p.  m. 

11:00  p.  m. 
7:25  a.  m. 
1:52  p.  m. 
6:24  p.  m. 
7:00  p.  m. 
7:12  p.  m. 
7:40  p.  m. 
8:55  p.  m. 


For  other  dollar-saving  fares  and  complete  bus  travel 
information,  see  your  local  Union  Pacific  bus  agents 

UNION  PACIFIC  STAGES 


BE    INDEPENDENT 

No  Other  Vocation  So  Profitable 

ENROLL   NOW 

For  a  Complete  Course  at  the 

Quish  School  of  Beauty  Culture 


X 


8«t» 


-'*> 


*/< 


Ofc 


The  Best  in  the  West 

336-340  S.  Main,  American  Bldg., 
SALT  LAKE  CITY,   UTAH 
For  Further  Information 
or  Catalog  Carl 
Wasatch  7560  or 
Fill  in  This 
Coupon 


EVERYTHING 
Photographic 

Write  or  call  for  Snapshot 
Information 

EASTMAN  KODAK  STORES,  Inc. 

Phone  Wasatch  5292 

155  South  Main  Street 
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah 


STEPHEN  G00SS0N  (LEFT)  FORMER  HEAD  OF 
COLUMBIA  STUDIOS  ART  DEPARTMENT,  AND 
LIONEL  BANKS  (RIGHT)  PRESENT  HEAD  OF 
COLUMBIA  ART   DEPARTMENT. 

INTRODUCING 
LIONEL  BANKS 

By  Weston  N.  Nordgren 

You  will  like  Lionel  Banks.  Soon 
you  will  be  chatting  with  him  as 
with  an  old  and  valued  friend. 
He  puts  you  at  ease.  Lionel  Banks 
is  the  new  art  department  head  at 
Columbia  Studios  in  Hollywood. 

He  was  born  in  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah. 
His  grandfather,  Oliver  C.  Bess,  came 
to  Utah  with  Brigham  Young  in  1847. 
His  Banks  grandparents  were  among 
the  handcart  pioneers.  Lionel's  early 
education  was  obtained  from  the  Lat- 
ter-day Saints'  High  School  and  the 
University  of  Utah.  The  family  still 
maintains  Banks  Court  in  Salt  Lake 
City.  An  Elder,  Lionel  Banks,  now 
37,  and  his  wife,  the  former  LaVee 
Peterson  of  Richfield,  maintain  mem- 
bership in  Arlington  Ward,  Hollywood 
Stake,  with  their  two  sons,  Neil,  5,  and 
Robin,  4. 

In  1920,  Lionel  Banks  came  to  the 
coast  and  studied  at  the  University  of 
Southern  California.  After  obtaining 
his  degree,  he  returned  to  Utah,  pur- 
suing his  profession  as  an  architect. 

He  began  motion  picture  work  at 
Warner  Bros.  First  National  Studios 
on  their  first  sound  picture,  starring 
Al  Jolson. 

The  film,  "Moby  Dick,"  was  largely 
his  work.  Many  other  films  have  fol- 
lowed, chief  of  which  is  the  new  mo- 
tion picture,  "You  Can't  Take  It  With 
You."  We  met  him,  in  fact,  through 
the  good  offices  of  Harry  McPherson, 
former  Salt  Lake  newspaper  man,  now 
at  Columbia,  while  previewing  this  film. 

He  started  at  Columbia  as  a  sketch 
artist,  taking  the  job  for  two  weeks.  He 
has  been  there  nine  years  now;  and  for 
the  past  six  years  has  been  Associate 
to  Art  Director  Stephen  Goosson.  On 
July  1,  of  this  year,  he  succeeded  Mr. 
Goosson  as  head  of  Columbia's  Art  De- 
partment. 


708 


fcxplounq^  thsL  IAmwqmil 


T-Jow  does  sap  get  from  the  roots  to 
*"  ■*■  the  leaves  in  a  tree?  Usually  it 
is  said  that  the  sap  is  pulled  upward  by 
suction  from  the  leaves  where  evapora- 
tion is  going  on.  Some  new  interesting 
work  on  this  problem  with  tomato 
roots,  that  had  never  been  attached  to 
a  plant,  found  enough  pressure  de- 
veloped in  the  roots  to  send  sap  to  the 
top  of  a  California  big  tree,  or  more 
than  100  pounds  per  square  inch. 

P\oes  water  have  form  or  structure? 
Surprising  as  it  may  seem,  a  honey- 
comb pattern  or  structure  has  been 
found  in  very  cold  water  which  persists 
as  the  temperature  goes  up.  Ice,  of 
course,  has  a  definite  evident  structure, 
but  this  pattern  persists  as  the  water 
becomes  liquid,  with  a  sort  of  honey- 
comb form  through  which  the  molecules 
of  water  move  in  and  out. 


By  FRANKLIN  S.  HARRIS,  JR. 


P\r.  T.  J.  Case  of  the  University  of 
*-^  Chicago  has  found  that  the  elec- 
trical waves  given  off  by  the  brain  can 
be  used  to  detect  scars  and  tumors  in 
the  brain.  This  may  then  take  the 
place  of  the  X-ray  method  where  a 
hole  must  be  drilled  into  the  skull,  so 
that  air  can  take  the  place  of  brain 
fluid,  to  give  shadows  on  the  photo- 
graphs. 


M 


Are  other  living  things  right  or  left- 
^*  handed?  The  cricket,  the  grass- 
hopper and  many  others  draw  their 
bow,  which  is  on  the  right  wing-case 
over  the  sounding  apparatus  on  the 
left  wing-case.  Nearly  all  the  molluscs, 
(snails,  etc.),  that  have  spiral  shells 
roll  their  coils  from  left  to  right.  There 
are  very  few  of  the  numerous  species 
which  turn  from  right  to  left.  Zoo 
tests  have  found  the  chances  are  four 
to  one  that  a  parrot  will  reach  for  food 
with  the  left  claw. 


A  rhinoceros  has  no  ear  for  music- — 
"^  — at  least  one  in  the  London  Zoo 
tried  to  charge  an  orchestra  no  matter 
what  tune  was  played.  The  sea-lions 
liked  everything  but  jazz.  The  wolves 
and  jackals  responded  readily  to  the 
music  offered.  A  tune  set  in  a  depress- 
ing minor  key  caused  them  to  point 
their  noses  to  the  sky  and  drown  out 
the  orchestra.  The  cheetah  enjoyed 
a  fox-trot  but  showed  alarm  at 
Gounod's  "Funeral  March."  Music 
never  failed  to  bring  all  the  crocodiles 
out  of  the  ponds  onto  the  banks,  where 
they  showed  interest  with  upraised 
heads.  A  like  effect  was  obtained  with 
scorpions  and  spiders.  Birds  were  in 
no  way  attracted  and  some  clearly  an- 
noyed. 


oscow,  Russia,  has  made  a  test  of 
a  pavement  made  of  black  and 
brown  rubber.  After  nine  months  of 
severe  traffic  conditions  the  experiment 
was  declared  successful.  Advantages 
claimed  are:  noiselessness,  neither  ice 
nor  snow  remains  on  it,  and  it  is  easy 
to  wash. 


An  improved  whooping  tough  vac- 
•**  cine  is  being  prepared  and  tested 
by  the  U.  S.  Public  Health  Service. 
Preliminary  results  are  encouraging  but 
careful  tests  taking  another  two  years 
will  be  necessary  before  the  vaccine's 
effectiveness  will  be  known.  Prepared 
from  the  Sauer  vaccine  now  used,  the 
new  type  takes  longer  to  be  absorbed 
by  the  body,  giving  a  longer  time  for 
antibodies  to  be  formed,  and  in  addi- 
tion needs  to  be  given  in  only  two 
doses  instead  of  six. 


*W£  STARTED  THROUGH  LITE         " 

ON  A  HEALTHY 
FOUNDATION" 

TH£  QUINTUPLETS 


KpJvo  id  "fcJvC  cryouf  Axtruup 
M/uttJl  "to  tShJL  *]PCo>uh^- 
OfjuiAAijJUpJZ&ZS.  Sk2  m*J2to&L 


C^nI>a^(S/Lodbtd   Lot  (VtMUTiMM 


Kemembet: 

KARO  IS  RICH  IN  DEXTROSE, 

THE  FOOD  ENERGY  SUGAR 


World  Copyright,  1938    NEA  Service,  Inc. 


i  ii    ■ 


THE     IMPROVEMENT     ERA,     DECEMBER,    1938 

■fc  •  *  •  • 


CHRISTMAS 


♦        ♦ 


AT  CHRISTMAS  CITY 


WE  BELIEVE  .  .  .  Again,  with  the  arrival  of  this  most 
joyous  time  of  year,  comes  a  desire  from  us  who  strive 
at  Christmas  City,  to  make  each  season  a  little  happier 
and  a  little  brighter  ...  to  reiterate  anew  those  ideals 
which    motivate    all    our    ambitions    and    endeavors. 

WE  BELIEVE  ...  in  the  Spirit  of  Christmas  and  in  the 
happiness  and  joy  that  comes  from  giving.  We  believe 
that  the  size  of  the  gift  is  unimportant,  but  whatever  you 
give,  see  that  quality  is  there 

WE  BELIEVE  ...  in  quality  to  the  very  corse,  for  there 
is  no  economy  except  in  quality 

WE  BELIEVE  ...  in  simplicity  and  thrill  to  the  beauty 
and  joy  that  comes  from  simple  things  .  .  .  and  we  have 
filled  our  Christmas  City  with  thousands  of  just  such 
lovable  items.         ..... 

WE  BELIEVE  .  .  .  that  a  store  should  be  a  place 
where  people  can  select  what  they  want  and  need  from 
among  thousands  of  items  with  confidence  and  ease. 

WE  BELIEVE  ...  in  rotund  Santas,  in  holly  wreaths 
and  in  mistletoe  ...  in  Christmas  carols  and  happy  greet- 
ings ...  in  what  we  stand  for  and  what  we  have. 

WE  APPRECIATE  ...  the  70  years  of  public  trust 
which  we  have  enjoyed  and  we  stand  today  more  eager 
than  ever  before  to  serve  you.         ..... 


* 
710 


From  a  panel  by  Avard  Fairbanks. 


CHRISTMAS  CYCLE 


I 

T  was  myself  a  little  child — alone 

Von  a  Christmas  hearth,  its  glow  grown  dim. 

The  soft  white  flakes  upon  the  window  blown, 

The  tap  upon  the  pane  of  whitened  limb 

Had  filled  my  heart  with  awe — perhaps  with  fear. 

The  wind  sang  shrill;  the  frozen  world  was  dark; 

The  candles  with  no  flame  had  lost  their  cheer; 

I  wondered  where  had  flown  the  meadow  lark. 

And  then  a  slumbering  log  awoke  to  flame — - 

The  tinsel  of  the  tree  sprang  glad  with  light; 

And,  shadow-soft,  I  seemed  to  hear  my  name 

As  now  a  little  Christ  Child  filled  my  sight — 

A  sparkling  Child  with  halo  like  the  frost, 

And  we  were  friends — with  all  the  shadows  lost! 


Ill 

'T'here  were  no  smiles  one  glazed  December  day — 
Just  hush  and  pain,  no  word,  no  tone  could  reach; 
Mere  chaos,  and  a  heart  bowed  low.    The  ray 
Of  friendly  Christmas  candle,  thoughts  men  preach 
Fell  like  dead  leaves  on  grief-drenched  eyes  and  ears. 
The  touch  of  baby  cheek — now  marble  chill — 
Was  not  enough  to  bring  the  needed  tears; 
My  mind  was  impotent  to  wake  the  will. 
But  when  I  seemed  to  see  Him  in  the  night 
And — floating  to  me  on  the  Christmas  chime — 
I  heard  my  name,  His  eyes  alight, 
I  knew  the  sleeping  babe  was  ever  mine. 
O  wonderment  to  feel  that  He  was  near — 
"I  am  the  light — "  above  a  tiny  bier! 


II 

Tt  was  the  time  of  holly  and  of  chimes 

When  bridal  lilies  breathed  of  ecstacy. 
There  was  the  jargon,  too,  of  boyish  rhymes — 
For  never  had  been  seen  a  bride  like  me! 
There  were  the  laces  and  the  gleaming  gown, 
The  laughter — and  my  mother's  hidden  tear; 
The  winding  staircase  which  I  pattered  down 
All  radiant  to  meet  the  coming  year. 
But  when  I  stood  a  moment  there  alone 
Beside  the  candles  and  the  log  burned  low, 
Like  echoes  from  far  years,  in  gentle  tone 
I  heard  again  my  name;  I  saw  the  glow 
Of  that  same  smile.    O,  little  Christ  Child  dear! 
In  my  full  world  of  love  I  felt  you  near! 


IV 

HThe  kiss  of  snow,  like  velvet  on  my  cheek; 

The  moon  grown  faint,  and  starlight  lost  in  haze; 
Low  chanting  from  the  churches  of  the  meek — 
The  old,  old  tongue  that  lived  in  other  days. 
Far  arcs  of  town,  in  holiday  array, 
Are  gleaming  dream-like  through  a  misty  lane. 
As  echoes  of  a  carol,  sweet  and  gay, 
Proclaim  His  birth  again,  and  yet  again. 
But  I,  grown  old,  can  hear  His  whisper  low, 
And  I,  grown  wise,  can  feel  the  inner  light; 
O  it  is  good  to  walk  in  falling  snow 
And  feel  the  wings  of  love  that  lift  the  night! 
For  life  is  rich  in  tides  which  sweep  the  years 
When  man  may  grow  toward  majesty  through  tears! 


BLANCHE    KENDALL    McKEY 


711 


]JhE  EDITORS  PAGE 


JhsL  "SiUL  Small  Oqiol' 


By  PRESIDENT  HEBER  J.GRANT 


HPhe  "still  small  voice"  is  given  to  those  who  heed  it, 
•*•     each  for  his  own  comfort  and  guidance,  according 
to  his  faithfulness  and  needs. 


I  am  reminded  of  some  very  faith  promoting  inci- 
dents in  my  experience.  I  was  out  in  Tooele 
at  a  quarterly  stake  conference  and  the  Patriarch 
of  the  stake,  Brother  John  Rowberry,  had  told  me 
many  years  before  of  having  had  a  dream  (as  I 
remember  it,  thirty  years  before ) ,  in  which  he  was  on 
a  great  vessel,  and  every  once  in  a  while  somebody  fell 
overboard,  and  he  finally  fell  overboard  himself,  and 
when  he  struggled  through  the  water  he  came  out  into 
the  most  beautiful  country  that  he  had  ever  seen,  and 
he  met  Brother  Orson  Pratt  there.  He  asked  Brother 
Pratt:  "Where  am  I?"  and  Brother  Pratt  said:  "You 
are  in  heaven,  Brother  Rowberry." 

Brother  Pratt  happened  to  be  out  in  Tooele  at  that 
particular  time  visiting  the  various  wards  in  that  stake, 
and  Brother  Rowberry  told  him  of  this  dream,  praying 
to  the  Lord  that  Brother  Pratt  would  not  ask  him  who 
the  man  was  that  he  met  in  his  dream.  He  did  not 
want  to  tell  him  that  he,  Brother  Pratt,  had  to  die  first. 
Brother  Pratt  said:  "I  will  pray  about  it  and  if  I  get 
the  interpretation  I  will  give  it  to  you." 

Just  before  leaving  (he  was  there  several  weeks) 
Brother  Pratt  said: 

"Well,  I  prayed  about  your  dream,  Brother  Row- 
berry, and  I  got  the  interpretation.  The  people  on  that 
vessel  represented  the  people  of  the  world.  You  said  that 
the  majority  of  the  people  who  fell  overboard  you  did 
not  know.  If  you  will  write  down  a  list  of  those  you  did 
know  in  the  order  in  which  they  fell  overboard  I  promise 
you  that  they  shall  die  in  that  exact  order,  and  I  promise 
you  that  when  you  shall  go  to  heaven  you  shall  meet 
the  identical  man  that  you  met  in  your  dream,  and 
when  you  meet  him  tell  him  that  the  dream  was  from 
the  Lord  and  the  interpretation  was  also  from  the 
Lord  through  Brother  Orson  Pratt." 

And  Brother  Rowberry  said:  "Brother  Pratt,  I  will 
tell  him." 

While  I  was  still  in  Tooele  as  president  of  the  stake, 
I  received  a  telegram  to  the  effect  that  Brother  Orson 
Pratt  was  in  a  very  serious  condition  of  health  and  re- 
questing that  we  hold  a  prayer  meeting  in  both  Grants- 
ville  and  Tooele  for  his  recovery.  We  did  so,  and, 
as  we  were  going  into  the  prayer  circle  room  in  Tooele, 
Brother  Rowberry  said  to  me:  "Heber,  do  you  remem- 
ber my  dream?"  I  told  him,  "Yes."  He  said:  "Well,  it 
is  Brother  Pratt's  turn  next."  And  indeed,  that  proved 
to  be  Brother  Pratt's  last  illness. 

Some  years  later  I  was  out  in  Tooele  at  a  stake  con- 
ference at  which  Brother  Rowberry  was  one  of  the 
speakers.  He  was  in  very  good  health,  although  he 
was  an  aged  man  at  the  time.  He  spoke  with  a  great 
deal  of  power  and  vigor  and  expressed  his  gratitude 
for  the  Gospel.  After  the  meeting  he  said:  "Brother 
Grant,  do  you  remember  my  dream?"  I  said,  "Yes." 
He  said:  "The  people  have  died  in  the  exact  order  in 
which  they  fell  off  the  vessel.  They  are  all  gone,  and  it 
is  my  turn  next  and  I  am  the  happiest  man  in  all  Tooele 
County.  I  am  anxious  to  meet  Brother  Pratt  and  to 
meet  your  father  and  other  men  and  women  1  have 
loved  with  all  my  heart.  By  the  way,  I  will  tell  your 
father,  Brother  Grant,  that  you  are  doing  very  well  as 
an  Apostle." 

The  next  time  I  went  to  Tooele  he  had  passed  on. 


Asa  baby  only  six  months  old  my  daughter,  Lucy,  was 
■  very,  very  ill  out  in  Tooele,  and  I  sent  for  Brother 
Rowberry  to  come  and  administer  to  her.  After  he  had 
blessed  her  he  turned  to  me  and  said:  "Did  you  get 
the  witness  of  the  spirit  that  your  baby  should  live?" 
I  said:  "No,  I  did  not."  He  said:  "I  did,  and  I  know 
she  is  going  to  live.  Go  to  your  desk  and  get  a  piece 
of  paper  and  let  me  give  her  a  Patriarchal  blessing." 

He  gave  her  a  blessing  and  he  made  many  remarkable 
promises  to  her,  many  of  which  have  been  fulfilled  to 
the  very  letter. 

Some  time  later  he  met  me  and  he  said:  "Brother 
Grant,  I  want  you  to  come  to  my  office."  (He  was 
the  Probate  Judge  out  there.)  "I  have  a  blessing  in  my 
heart  for  you  of  a  Patriarchal  nature."  He  gave  me 
a  most  wonderful  and  marvelous  blessing,  nearly  all 
of  which  has  been  fulfilled  to  the  very  letter,  and  he 
made  the  remark:  "Brother  Grant,  I  saw  something 
that  I  dared  not  put  in  your  blessing."  I  then  had  the 
impression  (I  was  just  twenty- four  years  of  age  when 
he  made  that  remark  and  had  not  been  made  an  Apostle) 
that  I  should  live  to  preside  over  the  Church.  I  have 
felt  that  is  what  he  saw.  I  never  spoke  of  it  in  my 
life  until  I  became  the  President  of  the  Church,  and  I 
tried  to  persuade  myself  at  that  time  and  through  all 
the  following  years  that  it  could  not  be — that  I  was 
mistaken.  Some  of  the  things  Brother  Rowberry  prom- 
ised me  in  that  patriarchal  blessing  I  could  hardly  be- 
lieve would  come  true,  but  they  have  done  so. 
[  WAS  feeling  as  blue,  financially  speaking,  as  I  ever 
•*■  did  in  my  life  when  my  cousin,  Anthony  W.  Ivins, 
was  called  to  go  to  Mexico.  He  had  been  marvelously 
successful  in  running  ranches.  He  and  I  owned  half  of 
a  $50,000  ranch  that  for  years  paid  a  25  per  cent  divi- 
dend regularly.  The  panic  had  come  on,  and  some 
institutions  in  which  I  had  money  were  not  paying 
dividends.  The  $12,500  I  owned  in  this  ranch  was  pay- 
ing the  interest  at  6  per  cent  on  $50,000  of  my  debts. 
I  was  sitting  in  the  temple,  feeling  heart-broken  (al- 
though I  was  one  of  the  committee  that  nominated 
Brother  Ivins  to  go  into  Mexico  because  I  felt  im- 
pressed that  he  was  needed  there  and  that  the  Lord 
wanted  him  to  go  there ) ,  when  it  came  to  me  as  plainly 
as  though  a  voice  had  declared  it:  "You  have  no  need 
of  feeling  sad  because  of  your  cousin's  going  to  Mexico. 
He  is  going  right  where  the  Lord  wants  him  to  go  and 
you  shall  have  the  exquisite  joy  of  welcoming  him  back 
into  this  room  of  the  temple  as  an  Apostle  of  this  last 
dispensation."  I  immediately  shed  some  tears  of  joy 
and  gratitude.    And  this  promise  also  was  fulfilled. 

I  mention  these  things  simply  to  strengthen  our 
knowledge  and  faith.  The  Lord  gives  to  many  of  us 
the  still,  small  voice  of  revelation.  It  comes  as  vividly 
and  strongly  as  though  it  were  with  a  great  sound.  It 
comes  to  each  man,  according  to  his  needs  and  faithful- 
ness, for  guidance  in  matters  that  pertain  to  his  own 
life.  And  for  the  Church  as  a  whole  it  comes  to  those 
who  have  been  ordained  to  speak  for  the  Church  as  a 
whole.  And  this  certain  knowledge  which  we  have  that 
the  guiding  influence  of  the  Lord  may  be  felt  in  all  the 
ways  of  life,  according  to  our  needs  and  faithfulness, 
is  among  the  greatest  blessings  God  grants  unto  men. 
And  with  this  blessing  comes  the  responsibility  to 
render  obedience  to  the  "still  small  voice". 


712 


Evidences  and 
reconciliations 


X)  Aids  to  Faith  in  a  Modern  Day 

Tt         fotJ    •       M.I        r      ±t    1  been  left  to  gradual  preaching  and  human  instru- 

fflOiV  C/LcL  JUu  tflSL  fcJCVujrL?  mentality.     So  in  nature,  trees,  animals,  and  men 

^^  have  small  beginnings,  and  require  time  to  attain 

HHhis  is  an  ancient  question  which  has  occasioned  to  perfection."     ( A.  McCaul,  "The  Mosaic  Record 

much  controversy.     There  are  at  least  three  of  Creation,"  p.  213  in  Aids  to  Faith.) 

prevailing  answers  among  faithful  Bible-be-  Second.    The  word  translated  "day"  in  Genesis 

lieving  Latter-day  Saints.    The  fact  appears  to  be  really  means,  in  the  original,  an  age  or  undefined 

that  no  man  knows  the  age  of  the  earth.  period  of  time,  and  is  so  rendered  in  several  trans- 

The  first  group  believe  that  the  earth  was  created  lations  of  the  Bible.    Further,  the  first  three  "days" 

in  six  days  of  twenty-four  hours  each.     That  is,  could  not  have  been  days  such  as  we  have,  for  the 

the  earth  was  six  days  old  at  the  coming  of  Adam,  sun  and  the  moon  had  not  yet  been  placed  in  the 

This  view  is  based  upon  the  literal  acceptance  of  firmament.^    (Genesis,    1:5-19.)      Moreover,    the 

the   story  of   creation   as    given   in   King   James'  word  "day"  is  used  frequently  throughout  the  Bible 

translation  of  Genesis.     (Gen.,  Chapter  1;  Exodus  in  a  general  sense,  as  "the  day  of  the  Lord,"  the 

20: 1 1 . )     According  to  this  belief  there  was  a  sue-  day  of  vengeance,"  "the  night  is  far  spent,  the  day 

cession  of  sudden  or  catastrophic  creative  events  is  at  hand." 

during  this  short  period  of  time  which  led  to  the  Third.    Scripture  revealed  in  modern  days  to  the 

formation  of  the  earth.    The  catastrophists  contend  Prophet  Joseph   Smith   indicates   that    the   word 

that  the  Lord  is  able  through  His  divine  power,  if  "day"  should  be  understood  to  mean  periods  of 

He  so  desires,  to  form  an  earth  or  many  earths  in  time,  for  in  the  Abrahamic  record  of  creation,  each 

short  moments  of  time.    They  also  quote  the  words  creative  act  is  followed  by  the  statement  "This  was 

of  Moses  as  revealed  to  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith,  the  first  or  the  beginning  of  that  which  they  called 

which  follow  closely  the  wording  of  King  James'  night  and  day,"  "and  this  was  the  second  time  that 

translation.  (Pearl  of  Great  Price,  Moses,  2:1-31.)  they  called  night  and  day,"  and  so  on  until  "and 

The  second  group  hold  that  each  day  of  crea-  they  numbered  the  sixth  time."     {Pearl  of  Great 

tion  was  really  one  thousand  years,  and  that  the  Price,  Abraham,  Chapter  4. )  Then,  "And  the  Gods 

earth  therefore  was  six  thousand  years  old  at  the  concluded  upon  the  seventh  time."      (Ibid,  5:3.) 

coming  of  Adam.     Those  who  uphold  this  view  Fourth.      Genesis   opens   with   the  phrase  "In 

quote  as  their  support  the  statement  of  the  Apostle  the  beginning  God  created  the  heavens  and  the 

Peter,  "One  day  is  with  the  Lord  as  a  thousand  earth."     It  is  quite  agreed  by  students  that  the 

years,  and  a  thousand  years  as  one  day."      (2  word  "beginning"  is  indefinite  in  its  significance  and 

Peter,  3:8.)     In  defense  of  this  view  the  statement  may  mean  previous  time  or  even  previous  eternity, 

made  by  Abraham  is  also  quoted:     "The  Lord  said  according  to  subject — as  in  John's  gospel  "Before 

unto  me,  by  the  Urim  and  Thummim,  that  Kolob  the  world  was."     (John  17:5.)     This  is  placed  by 

was  after  the  manner  of  the  Lord,  according  to  its  the  side  of  Alma's  words  "All  is  as  one  day  with 

times  and  seasons  in  the  revolutions  thereof;  that  God  and  time  only  is  measured  unto  men,"  (Alma, 

one  revolution  was  a  day  unto  the  Lord,  after  his  40:8)  as  indicating  that  our  measurement  of  time, 

manner  of  reckoning,  it  being  one  thousand  years  with  its  short  days  and  hours  came  only  with  man. 

according  to  the  time  appointed  unto  that  whereon  Fifth.    The  slow  processes  of  nature,  as  known 

thou  standest.    This  is  the  reckoning  of  the  Lord's  to  man,  must  long  have  been  in  operation  to  lift 

time  according  to  the  reckoning  of  Kolob.     (Pearl  the  mountains  from  lake  and  sea  bottoms,  and  to 

of  Great  Price,  Abraham,  3 :4. )  carve  out  the  valleys.    All  human  experience  points 

The  third  group  believe  that  the  creation  of  the  to  the  need  of  periods  of  time  far  beyond  six  thou- 

earth  extended  over  immensely  long  periods  of  time,  sand  years,  to  fashion  the  earth  as  it  appears  today, 

not  yet  correctly  established  by  revelation  or  by  or  as  it  seems  to  have  been  throughout  recorded 

man's  scientific  advance,  and  that  the  earth  there-  history. 

fore  is  very  old.     In  support  of  this  view  they  Sixth.     Recent  discoveries  in  the  field  of  radio- 
marshal  several  arguments:                            •  activity  have  furnished  a  "time-clock"  which  corn- 
First.     It  is  admitted  that  the  Lord  has  power  pels  the  belief  that  the  earth  is  very  old,  far  beyond 
to  accomplish  His  work  in  His  own  way  and  time,  the  former,  accepted  limits. 

"But  nature  and  scripture  both  teach  us  that  it  has  Those  who  upon  the  above  and  other  views  hold 

pleased  the  Lord  to  work  gradually.    His  purpose  that  the  earth  is  very  old,  have  attempted  to  esti- 

was  to  fill  the  earth  with  inhabitants,  and  yet  only  mate  the  age  of  the  earth  in  years.    The  method  is 

a  single  pair  was  created.  ...  It  is  His  will  that  always  based  on  a  common  principle.    The  rate  at 

the  whole  earth  shall  be  filled  with  the  knowledge  which  some  process  is  going  on  at  the  present  day 

of  Himself;  but  the  diffusion  of  the  knowledge  has  {Concluded  on  page  755) 


713 


CHASTITY 


By  PRESIDENT  J.  REUBEN  CLARK,  JR. 


Of  the  First  Presidency 


(fha&titi^  idu  ^undamsmiaL  Jb  jowl  JU$jl 
and,  Jb  jowl  xdvUiycdwn.  9£.  JthsL  Juool 
jbsucomcju  unxJia&Jb,  it  ivilL  psihi&h. 


\X7e  must  approach  and  teach  our  youth  as 

children  of  god,  with  spirits  that  are  to  live 

throughout  eternity,  and  tell  them  plainly  and 

clearly  that  the  laws  of  god  and  man  demand 

THAT  THEY  SHALL  BE  CHASTE.    If  WE  TEACH  ANYTHING 
LESS  THAN  THIS  WE  SHALL  DESTROY  OUR  YOUTH. 


I  WANT  to  say  a  few  words  to  the 
parents,  to  the  teachers  and  to 
the  youth  of  the  Church  about  a 
matter  that  seems  to  me  to  be  of 
the  most  far-reaching  importance. 

To  Moses  on  Sinai  came  the  law 
of  all  time:  "Thou  shalt  not  commit 
adultery."  The  Master,  Jesus  Christ, 
found  his  most  opprobrious  term  in 
the  phrase,  "an  adulterous  gener- 
ation." The  Lord  in  his  time  and 
in  ours,  has  put  adultery  and  forni- 
cation side  by  side.  Both  are  car- 
dinal sins. 

The  Church  has  from  the  begin- 
ning demanded  of  its  youth,  male 
and  female,  one  standard  only,  ab- 
solute continence  until  proper  mar- 
riage has  legalized  and  hallowed  the 
sexual  relations.  To  this  there  is  no 
exception.  Man  is  a  biological 
unit,  an  animal,  but  he  is  more  than 
this,  he  is  the  temple  of  an  immortal 
spirit.  That  spirit  can  be  defiled  by 
the  flesh,  and  defilement  comes  when 
the  laws  of  chastity  are  violated. 

Our  very  civilization  itself  is  based 
upon  chastity,  the  sanctity  of  mar- 
riage and  the  holiness  of  the  home. 
Destroy  these  and  Christian  man 
becomes  a  brute. 

For  Latter-day  Saints  the  family 
relationship  continues  through  eter- 
nity. It  is  the  loftiest  and  most 
sacred  human  relationship  we  know. 
To  the  chaste  young  man  and  young 
woman  beginning  the  building  of  a 
home,  there  is  a  trust,  a  confidence, 
714 


a  joy  unspeakable,  an  all  but  divine 
harmony  that  no  other  purely  human 
undertaking  can  bring.  The  right- 
ful heritage  of  such  a  beginning  in 
life  is  a  life  of  righteousness  that 
builds  upward  to  eternal  life. 

To  the  unchaste  who  marry  there 
is  ahead  either  a  life  of  distrust,  lack 
of  confidence,  unhappiness,  leading 
to  the  divorce  court,  or  a  life  of 
promiscuous  sexual  relationship  that 
ends  in  misery,  disease,  and  shame. 
Debauchery  never  gave  birth  to  good 
of  any  kind. 

Chastity  is  fundamental  to  our 
life  and  to  our  civilization.  If  the 
race  becomes  unchaste,  it  will  perish. 
Immorality  has  been  basic  to  the 
destruction  of  mighty  nations  in  the 
past.  It  will  bring  to  dust  the  mighty 
nations  of  the  present. 

Every  one  of  us  who  instructs  our 
youth,  in  whatever  place  or  position, 
and  in  whatever  capacity,  must 
teach  the  young  people  of  today  to 
abstain  from  unchastity.  We  must 
surround  our  teachings  with  due  and 
proper  reserve  and  modesty.  We 
must  approach  and  teach  the  youth 
as  the  children  of  God,  with  spirits 
that  are  to  live  throughout  eternity, 
and  tell  them  plainly  and  clearly 
that  the  laws  of  God,  and  of  man 
also,  demand  that  they  live  chaste. 
If  we  shall  teach  anything  less  than 
this,  we  will  destroy  our  youth  and 
we  will  bring  ourselves  under  a  con- 
demnation which  is  too  great  to  be 
fathomed  by  the  human  mind. 

Tn  what  I  have  said  I  include  all  of 

lis  parents.    How  can  we  parents 

face  our  Maker  if  we  have  failed  in 

one  featherweight  to  meet  the  duty 


which  is  ours  in  these  matters?  And 
let  us  not  make  the  mistake — any 
of  us — of  assuming  that  our  children 
are  beyond  temptation  and  may  not 
fall.  This  is  a  delusion  and  a  snare 
that  will  bring  us  to  the  very  depths. 
Let  every  father  and  every  mother, 
every  brother  and  every  sister,  stand 
guard  day  and  night  that  their  loved 
ones  be  not  seized  and  carried  away 
by  lust. 

You  young  people,  may  I  directly 
entreat  you  to  be  chaste.  Please  be- 
lieve me  when  I  say  that  chastity 
is  worth  more  than  life  itself.  This 
is  the  doctrine  my  parents  taught 
me;  it  is  truth.  Better  die  chaste 
than  live  unchaste.  The  salvation 
of  your  very  soul  is  concerned  in 
this. 

I  ask  you  to  believe  me  when  I 
say  that  whenever  a  man  or  woman, 
young  or  old,  demands  as  the  price 
of  his  friendship  that  you  give  up 
the  righteous  standards  of  your  life, 
or  any  of  them,  that  man's  friend- 
ship is  not  worth  the  price  he  asks. 
You  may  not  trust  that  friendship. 
He  will  cast  it  off  as  he  does  his 
worn-out  coat.  Friendship  is  not 
now  and  never  was  the  offspring  of 
debauchery  or  unrighteousness. 

I  ask  you  young  women  to  be- 
lieve me  further  when  I  say  that  any 
young  man  who  demands  your 
chastity  as  the  price  of  his  love,  is 
spiritually  unclean,  and  is  offering 
something  that  is  not  worth  the 
purchase  price.  His  love  will  turn 
to  ashes  under  your  touch;  it  will 
lead  you  to  misery  and  shame;  and 
too  often  it  will  curse  you  with  dread 
disease. 


THE     IMPROVEMENT     ERA,     DECEMBER,     19  3  8 


To  you  young  men  I  say  that  any 
woman  who  comes  to  you  offering 
her  person  outside  of  legal  wedlock, 
is  playing  the  harlot. 

The  Lord  has  said  in  our  day: 
"For  I,  the  Lord,  cannot  look  upon 
sin  with  the  least  degree  of  allow- 
ance."  (D.  and  C.  1 :31 ).  And  to 
Moses  he  said  that  no  unclean  thing 
can  dwell  in  the  kingdom  of  God 
or  in  his  presence.     (Moses  6:57.) 

Yet  there  is  forgiveness  for  the 
sinner  who  truly  repents.  God's 
mercy  is  just  as  boundless  as   his 


anxious  to  forgive,  if  you  shall  come 
with  a  repentant  heart — the  repent- 
ance of  a  forsaking  of  sin,  and  the 
living  of  a  righteous  life,  and  a  con- 
trite spirit. 

To  the  unbelieving  scoffer  who 
says:  "All  you  say  merely  shows 
how  old  and  out  of  date  your  re- 
ligion is," — or,  as  one  educator  said: 
"how  much  your  religion  is  of  the 
kindergarten  type" — to  the  scoffers 
who  say  that  man  has  outgrown  the 
old  God  with  His  rewards  and  pun- 
ishments,  His   standards,   and   that 


3&L  I6L  not  maluL  Bul  mhialuL—jam^ 
i£  JULdu—ofc  oAAumm^  ihaL  djjUl 
xJuIcOw/l  cUisL  JbsuptuL  hmpiaiwrL  atuL 
may.  JwLfedl. 


"pOR  I,  the  Lord,  cannot  look  upon  sin  with 

THE  LEAST  DEGREE  OF  ALLOWANCE." DOC.  AND 

Cov.  1:31. 


I  have  spoken  plainly  because 
plain  speech  is  necessary.  I  have 
tried  not  to  speak  indelicately;  I  have 
not  spoken  lewdly. 

Youth,  be  not  disturbed.  Be 
valiant.  God^ives.  The  Gospel  is 
His  way  of  life.    Follow  the  Gospel 


Jo  JtfuL  ACD^SMu  wlfW  AOlf  WSL  hctVSL    DJUiqJWIVfL  dflCL&Jtify,  it  Ldu 

Au^icknt  io  Aai^  ihaL  iku&.  hctA.  ihai/L  JdrwL  Afwfout.  auiol 
Qcdn.  thkxL  io  $umL  cu  bsdi&Jv  svai^  than,  ihsL  otul  'Sod.  heat 
fUwvid&d.    JJuitu  wilL  ih&tf  olwayA,  AfmaL  uniiL  %oxL  Ahall 


xJoasl  ih&bv  nwudha. 


justice.  To  the  woman  taken  in 
adultery,  condemned  to  death  by 
the  Mosaic  law,  Jesus  said:  "Go, 
and  sin  no  more."  But  the  heart 
must  be  ripened  in  repentance  be- 
fore forgiveness  can  come,  and  sor- 
row alone  is  not  repentance.  A  new 
and  righteous  life  must  be  led. 

Church  members,  young  and  old, 
the  Lord  demands  that  you  be 
chaste.  The  Church  requires  chas- 
tity from  you  under  penalty  of  dis- 
fellowship  and  excommunication.  If 
any  of  you  have  already  sinned,  your 
brethren  and  sisters  stand  ready  and 


T  ET  EVERY  FATHER  AND  EVERY  MOTHER,  EVERY  BROTHER  AND 

EVERY  SISTER,  STAND  GUARD  DAY  AND  NIGHT  THAT  THEIR 

LOVED  ONES  BE  NOT  SEIZED  AND  CARRIED  AWAY  IN  UNCHASTITY. 


man  must  now  create  for  himself  a 
new  God — and  this  last  is  at  the  root 
of  much  of  the  so-called  modern 
philosophy,  which  considers  man  as 
creating  his  God,  not  God  as  creat- 
ing His  children — to  these  scoffers  it 
is  sufficient  to  say  that  thus  has  their 
kind  spoken  since  Cain  tried  to  find 
a  better  way  than  the  one  God  had 
provided.  Thus  will  they  always 
speak  until  God  shall  close  their 
mouths. 


path  to  eternal  life,  "And  this  is  life 
eternal,  that  they  might  know  thee, 
the  only  true  God,  and  Jesus  Christ, 
whom  thou  hast  sent."  ( John  17:3.) 
May  the  Lord  give  us  His  spirit, 
bring  home  to  our  hearts  the  ne- 
cessity of  chastity  for  every  man  and 
every  woman,  for  every  boy  and 
every  girl,  I  ask,  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Amen. — From  an  address 
delivered  at  the  \09th  Semi- Annual 
Conference. 


o^§  ®^^o 


715 


Portrait^ 


£L 


Part  Two 
The  Young  Family  Man 

Really  to  know  a  man  one 
should  also  know  his  wife. 
Father  you  have  met.  Let 
me  introduce  you  to  my  mother.  For 
only  a  few  years  we  were  privileged 
to  have  her  with  us,  yet  so  strong 
and  clear-cut  was  the  impression  of 
her  vivid,  inspiring,  dynamic  per- 
sonality that  it  was,  is  and  always 
will  be  a  vital  part  of  my  innermost 
being. 

Mother's  father,  Briant  String- 
ham,  came  west  with  the  first  com- 
pany of  Mormon  pioneers;  her  moth- 
er came  later  with  my  grandfather 
Jedediah  M.  Grant's  company.  At 
the  time  of  the  Gold  Rush  Grand- 
father Stringham  had  decided  to  go 
to  California  when  he  met  Brigham 
Young,  who  said:  "Briant,  what 
are  you  doing?" 

"I'm  preparing  to  go  to  California. 
I've  sold  my  shop." 

"Well,  we'll  find  something  for 
you  right  here.  You  can  take  care 
of  the  Church  stock  from  Arizona  to 
Idaho."    . 

Headquarters  for  the  Church 
stock  was  on  Antelope  Island. 
Mother  used  to  tell  us  of  the  happy 
summers  spent  on  what  was  then 
called  "Church  Island."  There  were 
an  adobe  house,  an  orchard,  springs 
of  fresh  water,  hills  to  climb,  horses 
to  ;  ride  and  a  beach  of  fine  sand 
where  they  went  into  the  lake  to 
bathe.  What  more  could  a  child 
desire — especially  when  she  had  a 
father  who  said  his  idea  of  heaven 
was  "a  ten-acre  lot  filled  with  chil- 
dren." 

When  mother  was  thirteen  those 
happy,  carefree  days  ended,  for  her 
father  died,  leaving  a  large  family 
to  make  their  own  way  in  life.  Al- 
though so  young,  mother  felt  keenly 
the  ;  responsibility  of  holding  the 
family  together,  and  giving  them 
every  possible  educational  advan- 
tage. Aunt  Louisa  A.  Badger,  who 
was  reared  in  grandfather  String- 
ham's  home,  recently  wrote  of  her: 

In  her  girlhood  days  she  had  a  struggle 
against  poverty,  but  she  went  to  school 
determined  to  make  something  of  herself, 
and  she  prepared  to  be  a  teacher. 

Your  grandmother  was  not  a  strong 
woman  and  had  little  in  a  financial  way — 
just  a  home.  She  had  a  knitting  machine 
with  which  she  knit  stockings  for  the  stores. 

I  see  Lou  now  in  the  kitchen  getting  break- 
fast.     We    all    helped,    but  Lou  was   the 

7\6 


YOUNG  MAN 

QhuMh,  Liu  cl  ivsriL-hwivtL  ^igwuL—Jbut 
Iwul  jlvsl  wJUvoduaL  lpuL  lo  ihsL  dOlb&A.  j/. 
$JumL  x^L  msfiSL  than.  hal£  cl  awiuhi^ 
ago—whoASL  litf&JL  ambiiimuiu  w&Jisl  oa. 
y&L  unJisaU^id. 

By  RACHEL  GRANT  TAYLOR 


THE  GRANT  BROTHERS,  LEFT  TO  RIGHT,  FRONT 
ROW:  JEDEDIAH  MORGAN  GRANT,  JOSEPH 
HYRUM  GRANT,  GEORGE  SMITH  GRANT;  BACK 
ROW:  BRIGHAM  F.  GRANT,  HEBER  J.  GRANT, 
JOSHUA  F.  GRANT. 


leader.  She  worked  in  the  morning,  sew- 
ing, washing,  getting  things  done  before 
school  time. 

She  adored  your  father,  and  has  told  me 
that  to  her  there  was  nothing  lacking  in 
him,  that  he  just  met  her  requirements.  She 
cultivated  your  father's  friends  for  his  sake, 
and  it  was  not  long  until  they  all  liked  to 
come  to  her  home.  She  loved  beautiful 
things,  took  joy  in  literature  and  the  drama. 

•     •     • 

She  could  see  the  right  plainly.  Her 
eyes  would  flash  at  an  untruth  and  she 
would  say,  "That  is  not  so."  She  could 
not  tolerate  anything  "put  on." 

She  had  a  keen  brain  and  executive 
ability.  Her  perceptions  and  desires  were 
all  for  the  fine  and  good. 

When  I  think  of  Lou,  I  see  her  truthful- 
ness, love  of  honesty  in  word  and  act. 
Her  religion  was  life  to  her. 

Such  a  woman  was  my  mother, 


who  shared  with  my  father  the  ex- 
periences which  we  here  call  "The 
Portrait  of  a  Young  Man." 

It  was  not  until  April,  1881,  that 
Father  bought  a  house  in  Tooele. 
He  writes: 

I  gave  Brother  H.  S.  Gowans  $800.00 
to  pay  Brother  John  Larsen  in  full  for  his 
residence,  $900.00  being  the  price  agreed 
upon.  I  had  paid  Brother  Larsen  $100.00 
while  he  was  in  Salt  Lake  attending  con- 
ference. 

The  journal  tells  of  a  Brother  El- 
der working  on  the  house,  and  from 
the  record  it  appears  that  Father 
helped  him  at  every  opportunity. 

While  the  pages  of  Father's  jour- 
nal relating  to  his  Church,  business 
and  other  matters  were  interesting, 
the  part  describing  the  time  our  fam- 
ily moved  to  Tooele  disclosed  a 
phase  of  his  life  that  was  entirely 
new. 

Mother  was  not  very  well,  and  so 

Father    had    the    responsibility     of 

moving.  On  Wednesday,  May  4th. 

he  writes: 

Spent  the  day  at  the  office  and  pur- 
chasing goods  to  ship  to  Tooele.  Thurs- 
day and  Friday,  same. 

The  book  in  which  the  journal  is 
written  has  many  pages  devoted  to 
matters  other  than  journal.  There  are 
lists  of  insurance  risks,  and  diagrams 
of  buildings  to  be  insured.  On  some 
of  the  pages  I  found  a  list  of  the 
things  he  had  purchased  to  set  up 
housekeeping  in  the  new  home. 

The  first  item  was  knives  and 
forks,  $14.00,  crossed  out,  Evi- 
dently that  had  been  considered  too 
expensive,  and  some  costing  $4.75 
were  chosen.  The  item  of  "a  bolt 
of  lonsdale,"  immediately  brought 
with  it  a  picture  of  a  wholesale  sup- 


THE     IMPROVEMENT     ERA,     DECEMBER,     1938 


MY  MOTHER'S  VALIANT  EYES 
By  Rachel  Grant  Taylor 

Mother  dear,  my  heart  goes  back 
Along  the  trail  of  yesteryears, 
I  see  again  your  valiant  eyes 
Although  my  own  are  dim  with  tears. 

You  could  not  stay  with  love  to  light 
My  way  when  shadows  should  arise, 
But  you  could  leave  a  gift  divine — 
The  memory  of  your  valiant  eyes. 

When  death  shall  come  with  beckon- 
ing hand 
And  free  my  soul  from  earthly  ties, 
One  boon  I  crave  from  out  the  dusk, 
Love's    greeting    from    your    valiant 
eyes. 

Reprinted  by  Courtesy    of  the 
Relief   Society  Magazine. 


ply  of  children's  dresses,  little  and 
big,  full-ruffled  petticoats,  and  tuck- 
yoked,  long  sleeve  nightgowns. 

I  was  amused  that  the  things  Fa- 
ther bought  for  repairing  the  house 
and  for  garden  tools  had  no  price. 

Another  item  that  seems  to  have 
been  eliminated  was  bed  springs, 
$10.00.  I  wondered  what  they  sub- 
stituted; still,  with  40  yards  of  tick- 
ing, a  hair  mattress,  and  10  pounds 
of  feathers,  perhaps  the  springs 
could  be  omitted. 

The  list  follows: 


Grater    10 

Mustard    Spoon  

Egg   Beater  35 

Wringer     7.00 

Teaspoons     50 

Tablespoons    1 .00 

Tin   cup   20 

Tin  Plates  50 

3  Tin   cups  35 

Bread  Plate     1.75 

Bread  Plate  2.00 

Dust    pan    50 

Dust  Brush   75 

4  lbs.    Raisins 1. 00 

4  lbs.  Currants 50 

6   cans    Field 

Oysters     1.50 

8  lbs.   Rice   1.00 

Tapioca,   Pearl  40 

6   lb.   Box   Starch 85 

Olive   Oil    1. 00 

Cheese    1.00 

3%    lbs.    Soap 1.25 

Sieve     35 

Coaloil    Can   50 

6  Milk  Pans _...  1.50 

Sauce    Pan    1.00 

Water  Pail   1.50 

Water   Pitcher  75 

1    doz.  Glasses 1.60 

Churn    ._ 1.20 

1  doz.    Sauce 

dishes   80 

Flat   Irons   2.75 

Tack    Hammer    40 

Soap    1.00 

Salt   20 

3    oz.    Nutmegs 25 

2  pkg.  Corn  Starch     .30 

Yeast  Powder  50 

Rolling   Pin   25 

Tubs    4.25 

Wash  Board  35 

Clothes  Basket  1.50 

7  doz.   C    Pins 50 

2  Brooms  80 

Sapone    25 

Oil    Cloth    65 

Table  Cloth  _...  1.05 

Crash    1.00 

Sheeting  C  W 

Lonsdale    1    bolt 


Ticking  40  yards  at 

20c    

1     sack    sugar    

Shoes    Ray    1.25 

Shoes    wife    

Hat   4.50 

12  box   Matches 50 

Stove  Blacking 25 

3    boxes    Shoe 

Blacking     25 

Shoe   Brush  50 

Butter  Bowl  50 

Box    Blueing 25 

Can   Coaloil    2.75 

Lamp     4.00 

Lamp  75 

Lamp     .65 

1  doz.   Plates   1.25 

Caster  1.00 

2  Veg.    Dishes 40 

2    Veg.    Bakers 1.20 

2  Veg.    Bakers 60 

From    Dinwoodey's 

Cupboard     $28.00 

Safe    9.00 

Table    14.00 

Chairs    6    12.00 

Rocking   Chair   4.50 

Bedstead    8.50 

3  Wooden  Chairs..  3.00 

Bedstead    12.00 

Hair    Mattress    12.00 

10  lbs.   Feathers 7.50 

2   Hat   Racks   2.00 

Looking  Glass 

Bracket  2.75 

Clothes    Horse    2.50 

Axe  and   Handle 

Hatchet    

Rake     

Shovel    

Spade     

Hoe     

Fork   

Pick    

Scythe  

Wheelbarrow    

250    shingles,    5    boards 

9  inches  by  14  feet 
14  brackets  for  the  posts. 
290  feet  ceiling  lumber. 
90    feet    moulding. 


Saturday,  April  30.     Took  the  7  a.  m. 


train  for  Tooele.  Went  to  my  house  and 
assisted  Brother  Elder  in  working  on  the 
same.  In  the  evening  went  to  the  Court 
House  and  wrote  to  Tony  Ivins. 

The  week  from  May  7th  to  May 
14th  was  occupied  principally  in 
moving.  Of  this  Father  writes: 

Saturday,  May  7,  1881.  Took  morning 
train  for  Tooele.  Met  by  Andrew  Gow- 
ans  with  wagon.  He  and  I  loaded  a  wagon 
full  of  household  effects  and  took  them  to 
my  home  in  Tooele.  Thos.  W.  Lee  and  I 
drove  to  the  depot  and  helped  Andrew  to 
load  again.  (Went  to  meeting  in  Grants- 
ville.)  Returned  to  Tooele  in  the  evening 
and  helped  Brother  Elder  working  on  my 
house. 

Monday.  Did  some  little  work  in  un- 
packing my  household  effects — balance  of 
day  assisted  Brother  Carl  J.  Elder  in  re- 
pairing my  house. 

Wednesday,  11,  and  Thursday,  May 
12,  spent  at  office  and  in  purchasing  house- 
hold furniture  and  in  packing  and  moving 
my  effects  to  the  depot  to  ship  to  Tooele. 

Friday,  May  13th.  Train  for  Tooele. 
Met  at  depot  by  Andrew  Gowans  and 
wagon.  Loaded  wagon  with  household 
goods.  Going  to  my  house  we  met  Brother 
Peter  Gillespie  going  for  a  load  of  my  ef- 
fects. I  returned  with  him.  Before  we  got 
loaded,  Andrew  Gowans  returned  and  his 
load  finished  all  of  the  goods. 

Saturday,  May  14th,  1881.  Worked  un- 
til train  time  in  house  and  then  went  to 
the  depot  and  met  my  wife  and  two  chil- 
dren. Hired  Betsy  Gowans  to  work  for  us. 
Paid  Andrew  $4.00  for  the  hauling  of  four 
loads  of  furniture  from  the  depot.  Busy 
all  day  putting  down  carpets. 

Next  came  the  days  ot  getting  set- 
tled and  working  around  the  lot. 

Monday,  Tuesday,  Wednesday,  Thurs- 
day, Friday,  May  16-20.  The  above  days 
I  was  busy  hanging  pictures,  window  cur- 
tains, working  around  the  house  and  on 
my  lot.  Did  my  first  plowing. 

Saturday,  May  21.  Worked  around  the 
house  in  the  morning.  In  the  afternoon  my 
wife  and  I  and  also  the  children  drove 
to  Grantsville  to  get  a  cow — one  of  Broth- 
er Samuelson's  for  $22.50,  delivered  in 
Tooele. 

Monday.  Worked  planting  garden  until 
train  time.  Went  to  the  depot  and  met  my 
wife's  sister  Susie  Jacobs  and  her  baby. 
Afternoon  spent  in  gardening. 

Saturday,  May  28.  Took  the  morning 
train  for  Tooele.  Mother,  Susie  Jacobs  and 
two  children  went  with  me.  Met  at  the 
depot  by  Ephraim  Gowans  and  Richard 
Lyman.  Had  a  good  buggy  load.  At  dinner 
had  all  the  strawberries  we  could  eat  pick- 
ed from  our  own  lot, 

Sunday,  May  29.  The  writing  in  this 
journal  has  all  been  done  today  from  the 
third  line  from  the  bottom  of  page  45.  I 
have  made  memos,  in  pencil,  etc.,  and  should 
have  written  the  journal  daily,  but  while 
moving  and  arranging  at  Tooele  my  foun- 
tain pen  gave  out  and  I  had  no  ink  at  my 
residence. 

Saturday,  June  4.  Took  train  for  Tooele. 
Spent  day  at  home  cutting  lucern  and  other 
work.  In  evening  attending  meeting  for 
Co-educational  Association.  After  meeting 
cut  lucern  for  about  an  hour. 

Monday,  June  6.  Took  train  for  Salt 
Lake.  Before  going  cut  some  lucern.  It 
rained  quite  hard.  I  raked  up  the  lucern 
during  the  rain  and  got  wet  through. 

Monday  to  Saturday,  June  13  to  18.  All 
the  above  days  I   was  busy  working   on 


ANTHONY  W.   IVINS  AS  A  YOUNG  MAN 

wire   doors,   screens   for  windows,    cutting 
lucern  and  putting  same  in  barn. 

Monday,  June  20.  Got  up  at  four  o'clock 
and  worked  until  12  o'clock  putting  lucern 
in  barn.  ,>:,■. 

have  written  of  Father's  ibusy 
week-ends  doing  Church  work. 
A  record  of  such  a  time  shows  moth- 
er accompanying  him  on  one  of  his 
trips,  even  though  it  entailed  getting 
up  at  3  a.m.: 

Thursday,  July  14.  Morning  at  .home, 
in  the  evening  drove  to  Lake  Point,  met 
mother  and  we  drove  to  Bishop  Edwin 
Hunter's  at  Grantsville.  Found  his  wife 
sick.  Bishop  and  I  administered  to  Sister 
Hunter.  I  got  a  riding  horse  of  the  Bishop 
and  rode  to  John  Riches  and  Alma  Hale 
and  John  Rowberry's.  Asked  Alma  wheth- 
er his  father  understood  that  we  would 
start  for  Quincy  at  4  a.  m.  tomorrow.  Said 
yes. 

Saturday,  July  16.  Got  up  at  3  a.  m.,  fed 
the  team,  greased  the  buggy,  and  at  4:20 
started  for  Quincy.  Wife  and  children  in 
the  buggy  with  me.  Mother,  Sister  Hale, 
and  one  of  Brother  Hale's  sons  followed 
us.  We  reached  Quincy  at  9:20.  After  din- 
ner at  Quincy  we  drove  to  the  Indian  Farm 
twelve  miles  south  of  Quincy.  Met  Brother 
Wm.  Lee.  Had  a  meeting  and  then  return- 
ed to  Quincy. 

Sunday,  July  17.  Attended  Sunday 
School  and  afternoon  meeting.  After  meet- 
ing drove  to  Grantsville.  .  .  .  When  within 
four  miles  of  Grantsville  I  commenced  to 
walk  my  team.  I  wished  to  wait  for  the 
team  with  mother  and  Sister  Hale.  Had  to 
walk  about  forty-five  minutes  before  they 
came  up.  When  I  found  they  were  all  right 
I  drove  very  rapidly  towards  Bishop  Hunt- 
er's. I  had  only  left  the  folks  a  few  min- 
utes when  it  commenced  to  rain  and  blow 
and  became  so  dark  it  was  impossible  for 
me  to  see  the  road.  I  had  to  trust  to  my 
team.  I  could  occasionally  see  the  road 
when  it  would  lightning.  It  was  so  dark 
that  I  could  not  see  even  a  dim  outline  of 
my  horses. 

When   within    a   few   rods    of   Wm.   R. 

Judd's   my   team  stopped.   I   got   out   and! 

{Continued  on  page  764) 

717 


\\ 


THY  NEIGHBOR  AS  THYSELF 


// 


Among    the   choice    gifts    from 
God  to  mankind  is  this,  that 

each  person  born  on  earth 
is  an  individuality,  the  like  of  which 
has  never  before  come  to  grace  this 
earth  and  the  like  of  which  will 
never  again  be  born. 

Yet  there  is  a  unanimity  of  pur- 
pose within  the  souls  of  the  untold 
millions  who  have  been  born;  the 
purpose  of  liberty,  growth,  and  an 
opportunity  to  work.  One  who  does 
not  feel  the  thrill  of  the  opportun- 
ity of  life,  of  the  privilege  of  growth 
and  development  and  the  blessed 
boon  of  labor  is  ill  indeed,  both 
mentally  and  physically. 

During  the  last  several  years, 
certain  of  us  have  found  ourselves 
unable  to  do  the  things  we  former- 
ly did,  and  now  lack  opportunities 
to  continue  on  profitably  to  our- 
selves and  to  our  families  in  the 
channels  wherein  we  were  wont  to 
labor. 

The  Church,  ever  alert  to  the 
welfare  of  its  members,  and  hav- 
ing practiced  from  its  inception  in 
1830  to  the  present  time,  the  prin- 
ciple that  all  men  should  be  profit- 
ably and  continuously  employed  at 
some  occupation  which  would 
bring  the  necessities  of  life  and  the 
joy  of  expansion  and  development, 
has  again  through  its  channels  of- 
fered to  all  an  opportunity  to  be  in- 
dependent— to  maintain  their  self- 
respect,  and  to  thank  God  for  the 
privilege  of  being  able  to  produce 
and  earn  their  shelter,  food,  cloth- 
ing, cultural  advantages,  and  spir- 
itual development.  In  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  Church  there  is  a  provi- 
sion for  every  exigency;  so,  today 
the  quorums  of  the  Priesthood  are 
functioning  in  a  splendid  manner 
for  the  relief  and  comfort  of  those 
who  may  be  temporarily  in  unfor- 
tunate circumstances. 

The  members  of  the  187th  Quo- 
rum of  Seventy,  domiciled  in  six 
ecclesiastical  wards  in  the  Bear 
River  Stake,  met  together  and  de- 
cided they  would  aid  all  those  who 
needed  assistance  by  giving  to  the 
individual  members  of  their  quo- 
rum, projects  which  became  sources 
of  pride  and  accomplishment  to 
the  respective  members  and  the 
quorum. 

In  the  assignment  of  these  proj- 
ects each  man  was  asked  to  con- 
tinue to  do  the  thing  he  was  already 
718 


CbudL  jul  looking  ioivahdA,  iPuA,  idsuil, 
(B&Wl  fiivjutiL  187ilv  QiwuufL  afi. 
Sswsjnhj^  fwinJUu  JthsL  way.  in,  Jbdiing^ 
oadfL  man  do^  what  Jul  doxA.  Jba&i. 
in  ^hiA,  choixjL  o^  wsdfyaJiSL  fUwi&dLdu. 


By  RUFUS  K.  HARDY 

Of  the  First  Council  of  the 
Seventy 


TOP:  A  YOUNG  SEVENTY  TOPS  BEETS  FOR 
THE  QUORUM. 

CENTER:  THIS  SEVENTY  TAKES  CARE 
OF  A  QUARTER-ACRE  OF  BEETS  FOR  THE 
QUORUM. 

BOTTOM:  "WE  MADE  ARRANGEMENTS  TO 
GATHER  THESE  APPLES  FROM  THE  GROUND." 

engaged  in  doing.  For  instance,  five 
hundred  bushels  of  apples  were  set 
as  the  goal  for  the  apple  growers 
of  the  quorum.  Those  who  raised 
hogs  should  raise  an  additional 
number,  as  their  individual  project. 
Each  cattle  raiser  would  furnish  a 
calf  and  raise  it  until  it  was  in  prime 


condition  for  fall  and  winter  use. 
The  drovers  furnished  sheep.  Those 
who  grew  grain  put  in  a  few  acres 
additional,  this  additional  grain  to 
go  for  the  assistance  of  those  who 
shall  need  it.  The  beet  growers  put 
in  an  extra  half  acre  or  acre  of  beets 
in  some  neglected  corner  or  weedy 
place  where  they  had  not  grown 
beets  before. 

In  the  past,  quorum  obligations 
were  met  by  only  about  50  per  cent 
of  the  members.  Others  felt  that 
they  were  unable  to  pay  what  was 
asked  of  them.  Now,  under  this 
plan  of  letting  each  man  contribute 
in  the  line  of  his  own  activity,  96 
per  cent  responded,  and  have  not 
only  furnished  enough  for  all  the 
needs  of  the  quorum,  but  in  addi- 
tion have  supplied  means  to  main- 
tain missionaries  in  foreign  fields, 
and,  moreover,  have  an  abundance 
which  can  be  used  for  the  blessing 
of  others  outside  the  quorum  who 
may  need  it. 

In  the  towns  in  this  stake,  for 
those  who  do  not  farm,  flower  gar- 
dens were  planted,  lawns  were  im- 
proved, vegetable  gardens  were 
tended  by  those  who  had  only  their 
labor  to  donate.  A  contractor  in 
this  stake  suggested  that  he  had 
several  basements  to  dig  and  would 
turn  one  or  more  over  to  the  quo- 
rum as  work  projects.  Others  of 
the  quorum  had  trucks  or  teams, 
while  some  had  only  their  hands 
and  a  willingness  to  labor.  It  has 
been  a  revelation,  not  only  to  the 
presidents  of  this  quorum,  but  also 
to  every  member  of  the  quorum 
who  has  so  far  responded  in  this 
joyous  endeavor.  It  is  the  sugges- 
tion of  the  presidency  of  this  quo- 
rum that  for  those  who  wish  to  do 
work  for  their  individual  projects 
and  cannot  find  work  for  them- 
selves, it  is  the  duty  of  the  presi- 
idency  to  plan  a  project  for  them 
and  find  the  necessary  work. 

This  quorum  would  like  in  the  fu- 
ture, with  the  aid  of  a  fruit  drier 
or  a  canning  center,  to  take  care  of 
all  of  the  products  now  going  to 
waste  in  their  territory.  These 
(Concluded  on  page  743) 


NEW  VICTORIA  THEATRE,  BRADFORD.  ENGLAND, 
WHERE  THE  MORMON  MILLENNIAL  CHORUS 
SANG  FOR   ONE  WEEK. 

Photo    by   R.    P.    Evans. 

Captain  George  E.  T.  Eyston 
was  driving  his  Thunderbolt 
over  Utah's  Bonneville  Salt 
Flats  for  a  new  official  world  record, 
breaking  his  own  mark  of  the  pre- 
vious year  and  the  records  of  all  his 
illustrious  predecessors.  The  writer 
was  at  the  center  of  the  measured 
mile,  describing  speed  and  more 
speed  for  KSL-CBS  and  an  inter- 
national radio  network.  Glen  Shaw 
and  "Wally"  Sandack  were  cover- 
ing the  end  positions  at  points  each 
six  and  one-half  miles  from  the 
center.  Great  Britain  listened 
through  the  facilities  of  the  British 
Broadcasting  Company  and  had  an 
intimate  close-up  from  Utah  as  her 
favorite  son  of  speed,  the  "fastest 
man  on  earth,''  garnered  more  lau- 
rels for  his  native  land. 

Captain  Eyston  told  me  that  Mrs. 
Eyston,  in  her  British  home,  heard 
the  entire  proceedings,  including  the 
roar  of  the  Thunderbolt's  motors  as 
it  went  through  the  measured  mile, 
and  felt  very  near  the  scene,  as 
though  a  continent  and  an  ocean  had 
been  eliminated,  which,  indeed,  they 
had  been,  insofar  as  sound  may  sub- 
stitute for  sight.  Her  message  came 
to  him  by  telephone  from  London  to 
Wendover,  Utah,  an  hour  or  so  after 


BRITAIN 
LOOKS  AT 

JAe. 

MORMONS 


"TPhe  faith  of  the  Mormons, 
which  began  in  ridicule  now 
stands  in  dignity  and  respect. 
They  have  created  a  worthy  and 
useful  institution  whose  mem- 
bers do  good  by  teaching  and  by 
the  example  of  their  upright 
lives."— From  the  London  "Daily 
Express/'  August  25,  1938. 


By  RICHARD  L  EVANS 

Of  the  First  Council  of  Seventy 


the  international  broadcast  had  been 
signed  off. 

Three  days  previous,  the  Captain 
had  made  another  run,  a  run  con- 
ceded to  be  faster  than  the  one  that 
was  officially  counted;  but  after  put- 
ting everything  into  it — and  besides 
steel  and  rubber  and  gasoline  and 
engineering  brains,  no  one  will  ever 
know  how  much  of  the  man  himself 
goes  into  those  runs — failure  of  a 
timing  device  disqualified  the  second 
lap.  I  interviewed  the  Captain  on 
the  microphone  that  day,  and  fully 
expected  that  there  would  emit  from 
him  what  would  have  been  a  thor- 
oughly justifiable  rebuke  and  tirade 
against  fate,  chance,  stupidity,  negli- 
gence, the  sun,  the  salt,  the  weather, 


THE  CAMERAMAN  CATCHES  CAPTAIN  EYSTONS 
"THUNDERBOLT"  AS  IT  SPEEDS  THROUGH 
THE  MEASURED  MILE  ON  THE  BONNEVILLE 
SALT    FLATS    IN    UTAH. 


MORMON    STREET    MEETING    ON    THE    CUSTOM 
HOUSE   STEPS,    BELFAST,    IRELAND. 

Photo    by    R.    P.    Evans. 


and  all  other  possible  contributory 
causes.  The  intense  bitterness  of 
his  disappointment  is  not  to  be  de- 
nied. But,  notwithstanding,  he 
smiled  affably,  and  pleasantly  greet- 
ed the  radio  audience  with  a  jest  and 
with  an  apology  for  having  kept 
them  waiting  so  long  and  for  having 
disappointed  them. 

That  was  "cricket"  you  know! 
With  the  better  part  of  three  years 
spent  in  Great  Britain,  my  estimate 
of  British  fair  play  had  already 
mounted  high,  but  this  display  of 
supreme  self-control,  sportsmanship, 
and  generous  conduct  topped  any- 
thing I  had  ever  seen. 

The  day  after  this  brilliant  but 
disqualified  run  during  which  Cap- 
tain Eyston  ran  north  at  347.155 
m.p.h.  (he  later  officially  established 
records  of  345.49  m.p.h.  and  357.5 
m.p.h.)  a  column  devoted  to  edi- 
torial comment  in  the  London  Daily 
Express,  one  of  the  world's  great 
metropolitan  newspapers,  had  this 
to  say  under  date  of  August  25, 
1938: 

Faster  and  Faster 

Captain  Eyston  drives  a  car  at  347  miles 
an  hour  across  the  salt  flats  of  Utah,  so  fast 
that  the  photographers'  planes  are  left  be- 
hind in  his  wake.    Driving  at  that  speed  in- 
(Concluded  on  page  758) 


JPul  (RsdtWlTL  0$, 

SOLOMON  CROSLEY 


'HE  STORY  OF  A  MAN  WHOSE  BETTER  SELF  HAD  GONE  AFAR 
AND  SUDDENLY   CAME   BACK  ONE  CHRISTMAS. 


s 


'jlomon  Crosley  set 
the  two  shining  milk  pails  on  the 
table  with  one  hand  as  he  drew  a 
handful  of  small  change  and  a  re- 
ceipted bill  from  his  pocket  with 
the  other. 

"Well,  there's  yer  Christmas," 
he  grumbled,  slapping  the  bill  and 
the  money  down  beside  the  pails. 

Mother  Molly  Crosley  wiped 
her  hands  on  the  corner  of  her 
brown  denim  apron  and  took  the 
blue  slip  of  paper  to  the  kitchen 
window. 

"A  new  separator?''  she  asked, 
in  pleased  surprise.  "We've  need- 
ed one  for  months  and  months." 

"Fifteen  down  and  the  balance 
at  ten  a  month.  Fur  as  the  egg- 
money  would  take  it,"  he  snapped. 

She  gasped,  caught  at  the  table 
for  support,  her  eyes  searching  his 
scowling  face  for  some  reassurance 
that  her  fears  were  false. 

"But  the  list — the  presents  for 
the  children?"  she  pleaded. 

"You've  been  a-grumblin'  at 
leaky  buckets  and  a  rattlin'  sep'- 
rator  long  'nough.  Time  ye  was 
takin'  some  of  yer  egg-money  fer 
somethin'  useful  'stead  of  blowin' 
it  on  gee-gaws  fer  Christmas." 

"Shoes  and  sweaters  and  caps 
are  useful,"  she  argued,  with  trem- 
bling lips.  "There  were  only  a  few 
trifles  for  Buddy  and  June." 

She  could  speak  no  further,  but 
gathered  the  money  into  her  hand 
piece  by  piece,    counting  it    with 


By  OLIVE 

MAIBEN  NICHOLES 


painstaking  care.  He  stood  look- 
ing at  her,  the  blood  slowly  mount- 
ing to  his  forehead.  She  looked 
tired  and  thin  and  faded^not  much 
left  of  her  girlish  beauty.  Only  her 
hair,  still  like  spun  silk,  rippled  over 
her  ears — one  tiny,  golden  crescent 
curled  over  her  cheek.  He  longed 
to  kiss  it,  to  take  her  in  his  arms, 
to  look  with  hope  into  her  brim- 
ming eyes.  Why  had  he  done  this 
thing?  Why  didn't  she  throw  the 
silver  in  his  face;  kick  the  milk  pails 
out  of  the  door;  tear  the  receipt  into 
bits  and  stamp  them  under  her  feet? 
His  anger  mounted  like  a  flame  with- 
in him  as  he  turned  on  his  heel  and 
stumbled  into  the  yard. 

Molly  watched  him  go — some- 
thing akin  to  love  battling  against 
the  tumult  in  her  heart.  Oh,  how 
long  would  it  be  before  the  miracle 
would  happen!  How  could  he!  How 
could  he!  The  hens  were  hers;  she 
had  cared  for  them  through  the 
stormy  spring — through  the  long,  hot 
days  of  summer.  She  had  saved 
every  egg,  denying  herself  even 
one  for  breakfast,  until  the  two  new 
cases  were  filled  with  the  precious 
load.  Then,  she  had  made  out  her 
list.  They  would  bring  her  ten 
dollars  apiece  at  the  market- — twen- 
ty dollars  for  clothes  for  her  chil- 
dren, and  a  tiny  bit  of  Christmas 
cheer.  If  she  had  only  gone  herself, 
but  that  had  been  impossible.  Sol- 
omon had  to  pay  the  taxes  and  one 
trip  must  suffice  for  many  errands. 

She  straightened  herself  with  an 
effort  and  looked  across  the  room 
where  her  daughter,  Martha,  stood 
cleaning  chickens  at  the  kitchen 
sink.  Molly  could  not  see  her  face 
but  the  vigorous  jerks  of  the  round, 
young  arms  gave  evidence  enough 
of  the  anger  and  indignation  within 
her.  It  was  getting  more  difficult 
each  day  to  stand  as  a  "buffer"  be- 
tween Martha  and  her  father.    She 


looked  wearily  at  the  straight,  un- 
yielding back  before  she  could  trust 
herself  to  speak. 

"There's  two-fifty  left,  and  with 
today's  eggs  I  believe  we  could 
manage  something  for  June  and 
Buddy.  The  boys'll  have  to  wait. 
They  did  so  want  their  caps  and 
sweaters  for  the  Festival  tomorrow 
night.  Do  you  think  you  could  ride 
into  town  on  the  bay?  He  wouldn't 
spare  the  boys." 

Marty  whirled  about  like  a  wild 
thing.  "Ma!  How  could  you  let 
him  get  by  with  a  thing  like  that? 
He  just  gets  worse  and  worse.  Why 
it's — yes,  it's  four  years  since  he 
spoke  a  decent  word  to  anyone." 

"Yes,"  her  Mother  answered,  "It 
is  four  years,  come  March." 

Meanwhile,  Solomon  had  entered 
the  stables.  Two  boys,  one  fifteen 
the  other  thirteen  years,  were  nois- 
ily cleaning  the  stalls,  jostling  each 
other  with  their  elbows,  scuffling 
and  giggling  over  each  pitchfork- 
load  of  compost. 

"Well,  what  kind  o'  party  do  ya 
call  this?"  he  demanded,  sternly. 

"Teachin'  Jim  the  fox  trot,  Pa. 
He's  purty  slow  learnin'  the  steps," 
laughed  the  eldest  boy,  upsetting 
the  younger  brother  with  the  fork 
handle. 

Solomon  stepped  quickly  to  his 
son's  side  and  struck  him  a  sting- 
ing blow  across  the  mouth.  The 
boy  staggered  against  the  stall, 
staring  at  his  father  with  incredulous 
amazement, 

Solomon  stared  back,  his  heart 
sick  within  him,  then  turned  and 
made  his  way  dizzily  to  the  gran- 
ary. His  hands  trembled  so  he 
could  scarcely  carry  the  grain  to 
the  horses.  When  he  did  finally 
reach  the  stable,  he  leaned  heavily 
against  old  Major's  glossy  flanks, 
racked  with  fear. 

"Whatever  made  me  do  that?" 
he  gasped.  "I  could've  spoke  and 
he'd  o'  listened.  Dave's  a  good 
boy.  It'll  be  the  horses  next.  I 
must  be  goin'  crazy." 

Molly  was  busy  with  the  dinner. 


720 


K&A.  °SPZ>^.  °/%£?^  °/2%>A  ' 


AND  SO  IT  WAS  THAT  AN  HOUR  LATER,  THE 
LOAFERS,  BASKING  IN  THE  WARMTH  OF  THE 
AIR-TIGHT  STOVE,  WERE  STARTLED  ALMOST 
OUT  OF  THEIR  WITS,  WHEN  HE  WALKED  UN- 
STEADILY INTO  PEDERSON'S  EMPORIUM.  NOT 
ONCE  IN  FOUR  YEARS  HAD  HE  CROSSED 
THAT  THRESHOLD.  NOW  HE  STOOD  THERE, 
WHITE  AND  HAGGARD. 


Marty  setting  the  table  when  he 
entered  the  kitchen.  He  pulled  up 
a  chair  with  an  impatient  gesture. 
The  mother  hastened  to  set  the 
food  before  him,  but  the  girl  walked 
leisurely  back  and  forth,  laying  the 
covers  with  exasperating  slowness. 
The  boys  came  in.  Marty  looked 
at  Dave  in  horrified  surprise, 
caught  her  father's  eyes  upon  her, 
and  turned  away  with  disgust. 

JLhe  meal  progressed 
swiftly,  each  one  anxious  to  be 
through  and  away  from  the  im- 
pending storm.  It  broke  at  last,  for 
Marty,  rising,  turned  on  her  father 
with  reckless  fury. 

"You  can't  break  me,  Pa,  as 
you're  doing  the  rest.  I'm  of  age 
next  week  and  I'm  going  away.  I'll 
come  back  and  get  Ma,  too,  some 
day — a  good  woman  has  no  right 
to  live  in  the  same  house  with  you." 

He  was  too  horrified  to  speak. 
He  got  to  his  feet  with  an  effort 
and  passed  out  into  the  after- 
noon sunshine.  Everything  seemed 
vague,  unreal.  He  stopped  at  the 
woodpile  and  began  stacking  the 
cut  lengths  with  minutest  detail. 


"Better  go  after  another  load; 
be  stormin'  in  a  day  or  so,"  he 
muttered.  "Do  me  good  to  get 
out  in  the  hills,  too." 

A  few  minutes  later  as  he  drove 
the  team  through  the  great  gates  at 
the  end  of  the  lane.  Buddy  spied 
him  from  the  sand  pile.  He  ran  to- 
ward the  wagon  as  quickly  as  his 
four-year-old  legs  could  carry  him, 
brushing  the  sand  from  the  chubby 
little  fingers  against  the  patched 
and  faded  seat  of  his  little  blue 
overalls. 

"Take  me,  Pa,  take  me,"  he  beg- 
ged, coming  close  to  the  wagon 
wheel  and  holding  up  his  arms  to 
be  lifted. 

"Pa  can't  take  you  this  time, 
Buddy.     I'm  goin'  a  long  way." 

Then,  seeing  the  crestfallen  little 
figure,  he  whispered,  "I'll  get  a  little 
Christmas  tree.  Ya  know,  ya  must 
not  see  yer  Christmas  things.  Ya 
can  shut  the  gate  fer  Pa,  too." 

Buddy  backed  obediently  away, 
his  face  wreathed  in  smiles.  Solo- 
mon halted  his  team  long  enough 
to  see  the  bar  glide  into  place  and 
the  little  boy  resume  his  play.  He 
turned  in  the  wagon  seat  and  look- 
ed behind  him  at  the  richness  and 
vastness  of  his  possessions.  The 
two,  great,  red  barns  filled  to  the 
ridgepoles   with  the  finest  hay  in 


the  countryside,  the  huge  silo  and 
rambling  sheep-sheds,  the  numer- 
ous granaries,  bursting  with  tons  of 
corn  and  wheat,  barley  and  oats. 

A  Jersey  bull,  in  his  well-built 
pen,  grumbled  ominously.  A  dozen 
sleek  cows  lay  on  the  sunny  slopes 
of  the  pasture  beyond.  A  hundred 
well-bred  sheep  cropped  leisurely 
at  the  dry  grass.  Only  the  coops, 
decayed  and  tumbling  to  pieces, 
broke  the  pastoral  harmony  of  the 
scene. 

He  took  his  bank  book  from  his 
pocket  and  glanced  at  the  latest 
balance.  Not  so  bad,  with  the  twen- 
ty new  acres  all  paid  for.  Hansen 
had  been  loath  to  sell  at  such  a  low 
figure,  but  the  Doctor  had  warned 
him  that  every  day's  delay  meant 
years  from  his  life.  If  Turner  would 
sell  for  three  thousand,  he  would 
still  have  a  thousand  left — enough 
for  the  lambing  pens  and  a  new 
pump.  Turner  was  a  fool.  His  land 
was  growing  more  worthless  year 
by  year. 

He  glanced  up  from  his  book, 
startled  to  find  the  object  of  his  so- 
liloquy before  him.  He  had  not 
meant  to  take  this  road,  but  the 
horses  had  turned  in  at  the  lower 
lane  while  he  was  busy  with  his 
figures.  He  looked  across  the  fields 
at  John  Turner's  home,  huddled 
under  the  sweeping  boughs  of  the 
ancient  elms.  Two  dilapidated 
sheds  leaned  wearily  against  the 
gaunt  sides  of  the  huge,  unpainted 
barn,  almost  empty  of  either  straw 
or  hay.  A  lone  cow  cropped  hun- 
grily at  the  lank,  dry  weeds  along 
the  tumble-down  fence.  Beyond  the 
house  lay  the  impoverished  fields, 
rimmed  by  the  rocky  ledge  from 
which  gushed  the  clear  waters  of 
the  spring.  Just  beyond  the  cruel, 
barbed  fence  gushed  life-giving 
water — along  its  course  the  grass 
and  cress  grew  freshly  green. 

(Continued  on  page  759) 


721 


\\ 


0jv  ihsL  SiM&L 
CA\  I  FH  ^TRAIf^HT"  by joseph  jacobs 

V^/'vL-L-LL/       \J    I    IX/     Vl  Vjl      *  President  of  the  Patestine-Surian 


in,  (DomaMJUA. 


President  of  the  Palestine-Syrian 
Mission 


A 


nd  the  Lord  said  unto  him, 
Arise,  and  go  into  the  street  which  is  called  Straight, 
and  enquire  in  the  house  of  judas  for  one  called  saul, 
of  Tarsus.  .  .  .  Acts  9:11. 


for  six  units,  piasters,  the  cost 
price."  (One  U.  S.  cent  is  worth 
1.75  piasters.) 

That  is  a  little  high,  so  we  offer 
him  three.  Maybe  three  is  too  high 
at  that. 


THE    "STREET    CALLED    STRAIGHT" 
IN  DAMASCUS. 


Recently  I  went  to  Damascus, 
the  oldest  city  in  the  world, 
to  visit  the  members  of  our 
Church  there.  There,  on  the  "street 
called  Straight,"  one  becomes  viv- 
idly aware  of  the  difference  among 
customs  and  people,  particularly  if 
one  desires  to  purchase  anything: 
a  bar  of  perfumed  soap  in  this  in- 
stance— oriental  perfume,  if  you 
please.  It  is  not  the  artificial  per- 
fume, such  as  manufactured  from 
drugs  or  other  chemicals,  and  sold 
in  Paris,  but  natural  perfume,  pre- 
pared from  flowers  and  leaves. 

This  is  the  same  street  to  which 
Apostle  Paul  was  directed  by  the 
Lord,  to  go  to  the  house  of  one  An- 
anias to  have  his  eyes  healed.  The 
street  has  a  high  arch  or  vault  of 
about  fifty  feet.  The  street  is  dimly 
lighted  from  small  openings  or 
cracks  in  the  arch.  There  is  no  side- 
walk proper,  so  we  walk  right 
through  the  street  wherever  we  find 
an  opening.  The  street  is  anything 
but  straight.  Every  fifty  feet  or  so 
there  is  a  small  turn. 

A  little  way  down  on  the  right 
side,  there  are  the  stores  which 
handle  the  soap.  We  glance  at  it 
sidewise.  Instantly  the  proprietor 
is  by  us,  like  the  spider  that  has 
caught  a  fly  in  its  web.  He  pleads 
with  us  to  take  the  article  because 
of  ancient  friendship  or  for  the  sake 
of  future  friendship  which  we  shall 
have  with  him.  We  ask  him  the 
price. 

"Oh,  the  price.  Well,  now,  isn't 
that  a  humiliating  question?  Who 
said  anything  about  the  price?  Can 
such  a  thing  as  price  be  asked  of 
a  brother?  Why,  for  shame!  Just 
722 


take  as  many  bars  as  your  heart  de- 
sires. Why,  aren't  we  brothers? 
Just  help  yourself  and  put  them  in 
your  brief  case." 


OUTSIDE  VIEW  OF  THE  FAMOUS  WINDOW 
THROUGH  WHICH  THE  APOSTLE  PAUL  WAS 
LET  DOWN  IN  A  BASKET.  SCAFFOLDING  IS 
USED  TO  SUPPORT  THIS  ANCIENT  RUIN. 

Well  now,  that  is  something  we 
never  thought  of.  But  we  insist  on 
knowing  the  value  of  the  soap  to 
give  him  something  in  return. 

"Oh,  well,  if  you  insist,  you  may 
give  anything  you  please." 

"Anything?" 

No,  he  will  not  mention  any 
amount.  Just  give  him  what  you 
please  and  whatever  you  give  will 
be  satisfactory. 

"Well,  if  that  is  the  case  we  will 
not  take  the  proffered  bar,"  and 
we  walk  on. 

"Just  a  minute,  where  are  you 
going?  Here,  this  bar  of  soap  is  the 
very  special  bar  which  I  have  been 
saving  for  my  very  select  custom- 
ers, and  of  course  you  are  one  of 
them.  And  since  you  are  my  very 
best  friend,  and  insist  on  giving  me 
something,  I  will  let  you  have  it 


"Three  units,  impossible!  Why, 
friend,  the  original  cost  of  it  is  six. 
And  what  is  more " 

Here  the  merchant  will  launch 
upon  a  long  story.  He  starts  from 
Father  Abraham  down  through  all 
the  prophets  in  the  Bible,  or  Mo- 
hammed and  his  successors,  then 
through  the  New  Testament,  and 
swears  by  every  saint  mentioned 
therein  to  the  effect  that  he  will  lose 
money  if  he  lets  us  have  it  for  even 
five  and  one-half  units,  but  for  our 
friendship  he  will  let  us  have  it  for 
that. 

We  hesitate  a  little  and  start 
to  walk  off.  This  time  he  calls  on 
the  souls  of  his  departed  ancestors 
and  all  the  saints  that  are  on  the 
calendar  to  witness  the  loss  he  is 
suffering  by  letting  us  have  it  for 
that  amount.  We  are  not  con- 
(Concluded  on  page  756) 

THE  CITY  GATE  THROUGH  WHICH  THE  APOSTLE 
PAUL  WAS  LED,  WHILE  BLIND,  TO  THE  HOUSE 
OF  ANANIAS. 


JhsL 

NATIVE 
BLOOD 


By  ALBERT  R.  LYMAN 

Another  gripping  story  comes  from  out  of 
the  southwest  by  the  author  of  "the 
Outlaw  of  Navajo  Mountain." 


THE  STORY  THUS  PAR:  Down  in 
the  land  of  the  Navajos,  where  the 
great,  weird  shapes  of  Monument  Valley 
punctuate  the  skyline  of  the  Southwest, 
Yoinsnez  and  his  son  and  his  daughter, 
Eltceesie,  live  in  a  hogan  neighboring 
Husteele  and  his  little  son  Peejo.  But  de- 
spite their  neighborliness  in  all  other  things 
there  is  a  bitter  rivalry  between  the  two  for 
the  capture  of  a  phantom  horse — Beleeh 
thlizhen  (blackhorse) — a  stallion  of  Arabian 
type  that  appeared  full-grown  on  Husk- 
aniny  Mesa  on  the  Utah-Arizona  line,  and 
which  defied  all  efforts  for  his  capture, 
whether  of  trickery,  stealth,  or  force.  As 
the  occupants  of  each  hogan  would  attempt 
his  capture,  the  occupants  of  the  other  would 
lie  in  wait  to  see  if  they  were  successful. 
Suddenly,  however,  the  dread  influenza 
struck  the  hogan  of  Yoinsnez  and  crushed 
the  life  from  his  son  and  prostrated  all 
others.  While  they  were  so  stricken, 
Husteele  and  Peejo  sought  again  to  capture 
Blackhorse — but  without  success.  Then  the 
devastating  plague  visited  the  hogan  t  of 
Husteele.  Ten  days  later,  after  Yoinsnez 
had  finally  gained  strength  enough  to  visit 
his  neighbor,  only  eleven-year  old  Peejo 
was  still  alive. 

Chapter  II 


S. 


'oftened  towards  his 
rival  by  this  ghastly  scene  of  death 
in  his  rival's  hogan,  Yoinsnez  took 
Peejo  to  his  own  roof  and  nursed  him 
with  tender  care.  His  noloki  di- 
vided her  time  between  her  con- 
valescent Eltceesie  and  the  neigh- 
bor's son,  developing  for  him  some- 
what of  the  kind  of  love  expressed 
by  her  devoted  service. 

With  the  cherished  hope  of  ban- 
ishing the  invisible  monster  from 
their  neighborhood,  Yoinsnez  burn- 
ed Husteele's  home  with  all  its 
dreadful  images  curled  or  sprawling 
around  its  gray  ashes.  From  his 
sheepskin  by  the  fire  Peejo  could  see 
through  the  doorway  the  hateful 
black  smoke,  and  beyond  it  the 
mighty  hand  raised  solemnly  against 
the  sky-line. 


craving  for  new  items  of  information 
about  Blackhorse;  he  talked  about 
him;  he  dreamed  about  him;  he  want- 
ed the  mesa  king  for  his  own  more 
than  he  wanted  any  other  value 
in  the  world  of  his  narrow  acquaint- 
ance. Naturally  enough,  he  wanted 
Peejo  to  tell  what  he  and  his  father 
had  seen  in  their  last  ride  on  the 
mesa,  but  the  boy  declared  they  had 
seen  nothing,  and  he  closed  his 
square,  childish  jaw  in  unmistakable 
resolution  to  say  no  more  about  it. 
Yoinsnez  would  have  been  quite 
ready  to  believe  they  had  seen  noth- 
ing if  something  in  Pejo's  words  or 
in  his  looks  had  not  given  the  old 
man's  imagination  a  strangely  curi- 
ous twist.  If  something  very  unusual 
had  not  happened  on  the  mesa,  then 
all  his  intuitions  of  the  years  had  all 
gone  suddenly  wrong.  He  and  his 
noloki  were  nursing  their  rival's  son 
as  they  would  nurse  their  own,  yet 
that  ungrateful  son,  still  jealous  of 
the  prize  for  which  his  father  had  so 
tenaciously  contended,  was  with- 
holding important  facts  which  they, 
as  his  benefactors,  deserved  to  know. 

It  angered  the  old  man — the  fur- 
rows deepened  in  displeasure  across 
his  retreating  forehead,  and  his  long 
teeth  became  visible  between  his 
parted  lips.  He  couldn't  tell  just 
why,  even  when  his  trusting  noloki 
asked  for  his  reason,  but  somehow 
Peejo's  story  didn't  ring  true. 

The  emergency  he  had  to  meet 
was  quite  enough  without  this  vex- 
ing phase  of  it,  for  after  losing  his 
own  son  and  having  no  help  even 
from  the  little  girl  to  tend  his  own 
horses  and  sheep,  he  had  to  care 
for  his  neighbor's  son  as  well  as  for 
his  neighbor's  sheep  and  horses.  So 
he  put  all  the  horses  together  and 


BOTH     HORSE    AND     MAN     ARE    STURDY    SUR- 
VIVORS OF  THE  DESERT  AND   ITS  DESOLATION. 

Photo    used    by    courtesy    of    Harry    Goulding. 

who   runs   a   trading  post   in   Monument  Valley. 

all  the  sheep  together  as  if  they 
were  his  own.  That  seemed  like 
the  only  sensible  thing  to  do,  and 
no  one  had  time  or  vitality  to  agi- 
tate the  question  of  ownership. 

As  soon  as  Peejo  was  able  to 
get  up  from  his  sheepskin  and  stag- 
ger away  from  the  warmth  of  the 
fire,  he  answered  the  call  of  press- 
ing necessity  by  helping  Eltceesie, 
the  ten-year-old  shepherdess,  with 
the  restless  sheep.  His  wonted 
strength  had  not  returned,  and  he 
had  not  exactly  been  driven  to 
work,  but  some  burning  urge  of  res- 
olution or  wounded  pride  impelled 
him  to  shove  past  old  Yoinsnez 
without  a  word  and  to  express  his 
independence  by  free  service  and 
no  complaints.  His  youthful  soul 
was  bursting  with  emotions  which 
must  have  some  form  of  expres- 
sion, and  he  acted  out  before  the 
old  man's  frown  what  he  scorned 
to  say  in  words. 

In  the  cold  days  of  that  early 
spring  the  hungry  flock,  the  long- 
legged  goats  in  particular,  raced 
over  the  hills  in  frantic  resolution 
to  find  every  green  twig  or  blade 
within  their  wide  territory.  The 
two  children,  bare-footed  or  with 
ragged  moccasins,  followed  them 
pantingly  yet  determinedly  mile 
after  mile.  This  was  to  them  no 
matter  for  wonderment  or  protest; 
it  was  but  the  regular  school  from 
which  all  fit  Navajos  had  to  gradu- 
ate, the  hard  grill  to  which  their 
fathers  and  mothers  had  subscribed 
as  the  necessary  proof  they  were 
fit  to  live. 

(Continued  on  page  764) 

723 


Jim.  PROTESTORS 
OF  CHRISTENDOM 

CONTINUED 

By  JAMES  L  BARKER 

Head  of  the  Department  of  Modern  Languages  at 
the  University  of  Utah,  and  a  member  of  the  Gen- 
eral Board  of  the  Deseret  Sunday  School  Union 


THE  HUSS  MONUMENT,  PRAGUE,  ERECTED  IN 
1915  IN  HONOR  OF  JOHN  HUSS,  THE  CZECH 
REFORMER,  WHO  WAS  BURNED  AT  THE  STAKE 
IN   1415. 


The  purpose  of  the  council  of  Pisa 
was  to  effect  the  unification  of 
the  church,  to  bring  about  cer- 
tain reforms  that  had  been  long  de- 
sired and  which  many,  both  orthodox 
and  unorthodox,  had  sought  to  find  a 
means  of  accomplishing,  and  to 
stamp  out  heresy.  John  XXIII  hoped 
the  council  would  recognize  him  as 
pope  and  thus  bring  about  unity.  In 
this  he  was  disappointed;  the  council 
deposed  him  and  elected  another. 
Reforms  were  not  accomplished.  The 
new  pope  dissolved  the  council  be- 
fore any  serious  reforms  were  un- 
dertaken, though  the  sessions  of  the 
council  lasted  from  1414  to  1418.  In 
the  attempt  to  stamp  out  heresy, 
John  Huss  and  Jerome  of  Prague 
were  burned.  Both  of  them  gave 
their  lives  to  affirm  the  right  of  the 
724 


individual  to  follow  the  dictates  of 
his  own  conscience. 

The  emperor  Sigismund  was  de- 
sirous of  stamping  out  heresy  in  Bo- 
hemia and  sent  two  knights  to  invite 
Huss  to  appear  before  the  council. 
He  urged  his  brother,  King  Wen- 
ceslaus  of  Bohemia,  to  send  Huss  to 
Constance;  he  promised  to  furnish 
Huss  with  a  safe-conduct,  and  "He 
caused  Huss  to  be  informed  .  .  . 
that  he  would  make  sufficient  pro- 
vision for  his  being  heard  before  the 
council,  and  that  if  he  did  not  sub- 
mit to  the  decision  of  the  council,  he 
would  send  him  back  unharmed  to 
Bohemia."14 

Neander  quotes  the  instrument 
relating  to  Huss's  journey  to  and 
from  Constance:  "Ut  ei  transire, 
stare,  morari,  redire  libere  permit- 
tatis"15  (That  there  to  go,  stay,  re- 

14Neander-Torrey,  Church  History,  vol.  IX,  II,  p. 
458: 

13Neander-Torrey,  Church  History,  vol.  IX,  II,  p. 
458. 


main,  and  return  freely  thou 
be  permitted." )  and  says,  "Huss 
was  taken  unconditionally  under  the 
protection  of  the  emperor  and  the 
empire,  as  it  speaks  not  only  of  his 
journey  to  Constance  but  also  of  his 
return  home  unharmed  from  Con- 
stance."15 The  best  case  for  the  em- 
peror and  the  council  is  presented 
by  Funk;  however  it  is  doubtful  if 
the  case  is  any  better  for  the  de- 
fense: "The  safe-conduct  granted 
to  Huss  by  Sigismund  promised  pro- 
tection for  the  journey,  for  the  return 
journey  only  on  the  assumption  that 
it  took  place.  The  emperor  also,  by 
word  of  mouth,  promised  Huss  a  free 
hearing,  probably  even  in  the  case  of 
Huss's  refusing  to  submit  to  the  rul- 
ing of  the  council.  This  promise 
was,  however,  not  valid  according 
to  canon  [church]  law.  The  coun- 
cil claimed  a  right  to  deal  with  Huss 
[it  did  so  expressly  September  25, 
1415],  in  spite  of  the  formal  escort 
provided  by  the  sovereign;  on  the 
other  hand  it  dismissed  as  untenable 
the  view  that  promises  made  to  here- 
tics generally  are  not  binding,  and 
the  emperor  could  not  gainsay  it 
without  endangering  the  continuance 
of  the  assembly.  Hence  the  impos- 
sibility in  which  the  emperor  found 
himself  of  fulfilling  his  verbal  prom- 
ise must  absolve  him  from  the  im- 
putation of  unfaithfulness."18 

Huss  could  have  remained  in  Bo- 
hemia, concealed,  if  not  openly,  as 
he  and  the  knight  of  Chlum  main- 
tained at  his  hearing,  but  he  con- 
sidered it  to  be  his  duty  to  defend 
himself  against  the  charge  of  heresy. 
Setting  out  before  receiving  the  em- 
peror's safe-conduct,  Huss  arrived 
in  Constance,  November  3,  and  his 
friends  announced  his  arrival  to  John 
XXIII,  who  had  arrived  three  days 
before. 

Huss  took  quarters  in  the  home  of 
a  poor  widow  by  the  city  wall  and 
was  surprised  to  see  the  pomp  of 
prelates  and  princes  as  they  arrived 
in  Constance.  Immediately  Huss's 
enemies  sought  to  influence  the  coun- 
cil against  him;  among  the  most  ac- 
tive was  Wenzel  Tiem  whom  Huss 
had  opposed  in  the  sale  of  indul- 
gences. 

Huss  stood  for  the  rights  of  the 
individual  conscience,  and  the  coun- 
cil, representing  the  church,  for  au- 
thority. Chancellor  Gerson  and 
others  desired  the  reformation  of 
the  church  and  were  willing  to  place 
the  council  above  the  pope  to  secure 
reform,  but  they  were  not  willing 
that  private  judgment  should  assert 
(Continued  on  page  757) 

18Berger  in  Funk,  A  Manual  of  Church  History,  vol. 
II,  p.  37. 


The  story  of  our 

HYMNS  


The  Author 

The  life  of  John  Henry  Newman, 
the  author  of  "Lead,  Kindly 
Light,"  is  full  of  gentleness, 
doubt,  courage,  and  faith.  He  was 
born  in  London,  February  21,  1801. 
His  father  was  a  banker  and  his 
mother  a  descendant  of  the  Hugue- 
nots. As  a  child  he  was  timid  and 
like  many  other  boys  had  a  super- 
stitious fear  of  being  left  alone  in  the 
dark.  At  the  early  age  of  seven  he 
entered  a  private  school;  at  eight  he 
read  Scott's  stories  in  bed  at  early 
dawn;  at  eleven  he  wrote  a  drama, 
and  at  fourteen  a  burlesque  opera. 
Music  was  a  part  of  the  Newman 
family  life.  He  played  the  violin- 
cello  and  "could  follow  the  melody 
of  a  complicated  symphony."  At  an 
early  age  the  spirit  of  disputation  was 
displayed  in  the  publication  of 
papers  called  The  Spy  and  the  Anti- 
Spy,  each  written  against  the  other. 

He  was  converted  to  the  English 
Church  at  fifteen,  and  later  wrote 
"I  am  still  more  certain  of  it  than 
that  I  have  hands  and  feet."  He 
entered  Trinity  College,  at  Oxford, 
December  14,  1816,  and  is  said  to 
have  been  "shy,  quiet,  unattractive, 
with  a  timid  face  in  which  two  eyes 
blinked  behind  silver  rimmed  spec- 
tacles." 

At  twenty-eight  Newman  became 
vicar  of  St.  Mary's,  the  University 
Church  at  Oxford,  and  preached  for 
fifteen  years.  Students  flocked  to 
hear  him,  among  whom  were  Glad- 
stone and  Froude.  Gladstone  af- 
terwards said;  "His  sermons  were 
always  read  and  his  eyes  were  al- 
ways bent  on  the  book.  But  take 
the  man  as  a  whole  there  was  a  stamp 
and  seal  upon  him;  there  was  a 
solemn  sweetness  and  music  in  his 
tone;  there  was  a  completeness  in 
the  figure,  taken  together  with  the 
tone  and  manner,  which  made  even 
his  delivery  singularly  attractive." 
Froude  likened  him  to  Julius  Caesar, 


By  GEORGE  D.  PYPER 

General  Superintendent  of  the  Deseret 
Sunday  School  Union  and  First  Assist- 
ant  Chairman   of  the   Church   Music 
Committee 

XXXV. 

<&acL,  Jtindli^  3UqPdi 

Words  by 
JOHN  HENRY  NEWMAN 

Music  by 
JOHN  B.  DYKES 


LEAD,  KINDLY  LIGHT 
By  Rev.  John  H.  Newman 

LEAD,    kindly   Light,    amid   the   en- 
circling gloom, 
Lead  Thou  me  on! 
The  night  is  dark,  and  I  am  far  from 

home — 
Lead  Thou  me  on! 
Keep  Thou  my  feet;  I  do  not  ask  to 

see 
The  distant  scene — one  step  enough 

for  me. 

I  was  not  ever  thus,  nor  prayed  that 

Thou 
Shouldst  lead  me  on; 
I  loved  to  choose  and  see  my  path; 

but  now 
Lead  Thou  me  on! 
I  loved  the  garish  day,  and,  spite  of 

fears,  * 

Pride   ruled   my  will;   remember  not 

past  years! 

So  long  Thy  power  hath  blest  me, 

sure  it  still  will  lead  me  on, 
O'er   moor   and   fen,   o'er   crag    and 

torrent,  till 
The  night  is  gone, 
And  with  the  morn  those  angel  faces 

smile, 
Which  I  have  loved  long  since,  and 

lost  awhile! 


and  Disraeli  classed  him  "the  most 
remarkable  religious  teacher  to  have 
appeared  in  England  for  several  cen- 
turies." 


In  1828  began  what  was  termed 
the  Oxford  movement  into  which 
John  Henry  Newman  was  plunged 
and  soon  became  its  central  figure. 
He  finally  insisted  upon  a  "recogni- 
tion of  an  unbroken  connection  be- 
tween the  primitive  church  and  the 
church  of  England."  It  was  during 
this  controversy  that  he,  in  Decem- 
ber, 1 832,  took  a  vacation  to  South- 
ern Europe.  Along  the  beautiful 
Mediterranean  coast  he  became  spir- 
itually disquieted.  The  Liberal 
movement  fretted  him.  He  longed 
to  get  back  to  England  to  battle 
against  religious  indifference.  He 
fell  ill  of  a  fever  and  when  partly 
recovered  took  passage  from  Paler- 
mo, Sicily,  for  Marseilles.  The  ship 
was  becalmed  a  whole  week  in  the 
straits  of  Bonifacio  between  Sardinia 
and  Corsica,  and  there  at  sea,  on 
June  16,  1833,  he  wrote  "Lead, 
Kindly  Light." 

Upon  his  return  to  England,  New- 
man, resuming  his  activity  in  the 
Liberal  fight,  gradually  argued  him- 
self out  of  the  Church  of  England, 
and  became  a  Catholic.  He  left 
Oxford  in  1845,  and  journeyed  to 
Rome,  where  he  was  ordained  a 
priest  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity.  In  1854  he  was  appointed 
Rector  of  the  Catholic  University 
at  Dublin,  Ireland. 

In  1879,  at  the  age  of  76,  he  was 
created  a  Cardinal  by  Pope  Leo  XIII. 
He  died  in  Birmingham,  England, 
August  11,  1890. 

The  Hymn 

Tt  is  extremely  interesting  to  read 

of  the  unrest,  spiritually,  among 

the  people  of  England  and  America 

during  the  first  half  of  the  nineteenth 

century.     In  England,   the  Oxford 

movement  stirred  the  souls  of  men. 

In  America  the  cry  of  "lo  here  and  lo 

there"  caused  much  excitement  and 

disquiet  among  the  people.    And  in 

the  midst  of  the  great  unrest  a  new 

prophet  appeared  on  the  religious 

(Concluded  on  page  754) 

725 


LOOKING 


TOWARD 


W 


HILE 


I  crossed  the  Great 
American  Desert  by  auto- 
mobile, at  fifty  miles  an 
hour,  my  mind  reverted  to  the  Pio- 
neers, walking  fifteen  miles  a  day 
in  heat  and  dust — -tomorrow  and 
tomorrow  the  desert — their  final 
destination  still  the  desert — in  their 
minds  the  vivid  picture  of  the  com- 
fortable homes,  fruitful  fields,  and 
smiling  gardens  of  Nauvoo  "The 
Beautiful."  Awaiting  them  was  the 
almost  impossible  task  of  making 
the  barren  and  forbidden  desert 
blossom  like  a  rose. 

Their  wise  leaders  brought  seeds 
of  trees,  vegetables,  and  grains. 
Some  of  the  women  brought  a  few 
seeds  of  dearly  loved  flowers  from 
their  forsaken  gardens.  When  the 
tiny  log  cabin  or  adobe  house  was 
built,  they  eagerly  planted  some  of 
the  precious  seeds,  and  more  eagerly 
watched  for  the  tender  shoots  and 
opening  leaves,  seeing  in  imagina- 
tion the  longed-for  blossoms.  When 
they  came  literally  into  bloom,  their 
joy  was   too  deep   for  words,  but 


1947 


By  ROSE  W.  BENNETT 

Of  the  Church  Beautification 
Committee 


XT  EARLY  A  CENTURY  OF  SUBDUING, 
CULTIVATING,     REDEEMING, 
BEAUTIFYING,  SOWING  AND  REAPING,  AND  SPREADING  OUT  OVER  THE 

BARREN  WASTES AND  EVEN  SO,  THERE  ARE  STILL  WASTE  PLACES 

TO  BE  REDEEMED  AND  UNSIGHTLY  PLACES  TO  BE  BEAUTIFIED,  AS 
WE  LOOK  TOWARD  THE  CENTURY  MARK. 


labor  with  our  might  to  redeem  and 
beautify  our  homes,  our  churches, 


brought  tears  of  thanksgiving  and      and  other  public  buildings,  our  com- 


love  for  the  soil  that  responded  to 
the  longing  for  beauty  in  their 
weary,  hungry,  beauty-loving  hearts. 
My  mother  came  from  England, 


munities,  stakes,  wards,  our  high- 
ways, roads,  streets,  bridges,  ditch 
banks,  recreation  centers,  parks — 
whatever  needs  our  care,  before  the 


a  land  of  forests,   beautiful  parks,      hundredth  anniversary  of  the  coming 


and  gardens.  From  earliest  child- 
hood, I  remember  her  garden.  How 
joyfully  she  dug,  planted,  and  nur- 
tured it.  She  loved  the  soil,  and 
it  responded  gladly  to  her  care. 
Common  or  rare,  everything  grew. 
Her  small  corner  of  the  desert  blos- 
somed beautifully  and  gladdened  all 
who  looked  on  it. 

Her  story  is  the  story  of  all  the 
Pioneers.  As  a  result,  today  our 
desert  is  clothed  in  beauty. 

Time,  the  relentless,  has  told  off 
the  years  until  almost  a  century  has 


of  the  Pioneers.  Shall  we  meet  the 
challenge?  Shall  all  the  desert  blos- 
som and  be  glad?  Our  answer  is  yes! 

The  next  question  is,  how  shall 
we  begin?  The  first  step  is  organ- 
ization. This  step  has  already  been 
taken  by  the  Church  in  the  Church 
Welfare  Program.    The  committees 

appointed  by  the  presidents  of  stakes     conditions  and  surroundings,  county, 
and  bishops  of  wards  are  the  ma-     city,  stake  or  ward, 
chinery  by  which  these  programs  are 
to    be    actively    promoted    in    the 
Church. 

The  State  of  Utah  has  effected  a 


DESERT  LANDSCAPE 

From    a    painting    by    j.    B.    Fairbanks. 

University  of  Utah,  the  B.  Y.  U.  of 
Provo,  our  state  and  federal  agencies 
for  roads,  forests,  etc. 

The  Forestry  Department  can 
help  with  trees,  shrubs,  evergreens, 
etc.,  that  may  be  available  for  use  in 
beautification  of  our  local  surround- 
ings. 

There  are  many  fine  articles  in  our 
daily  newspapers.  (See  M.  I.  A. 
Adult  Department  Manual  1938-39 
for  its  beautification  project. ) 

Our  next  step  is  to  make  a  thor- 
ough survey  of  our  own  local  set-up, 


slipped  into  the  past  since  the  com-      similar  organization  for  the  beauti- 


ing  of  our  ancestors  into  the  wilder- 
ness— a  hundred  years  of  subduing, 
cultivating,  redeeming,  beautifying, 
sowing  and  reaping,  growing,  and 
spreading  out  over  the  barren  wastes. 


fication  of  our  communities  in  com- 
memoration of  the  one-hundredth 
anniversary  of  the  coming  of  the 
Pioneers;  so  there  are  many  agencies 


We  must  list  carefully  the  good 
and  bad,  the  beautiful  and  the  ugly, 
the  necessary  and  the  useless,  the 
desirable  and  the  undesirable;  things 
to  be  repaired,  things  to  be  destroy- 
ed. We  must  catalog  all  our  local 
natural  resources- — where  and  how 
they  are  to  be  obtained  and  also  our 
human  resources :  our  leaders — civic^ 


But  there  are  still  waste  places  to  be      of  our  program.     Just  to  mention  a 


at  our  disposal  for  the  forwarding     religious,  recreational,  professional; 


redeemed  and  established,  com- 
munities to  be  renovated,  improved, 
and  made  more  beautiful.  Our 
borders  have  extended;  new  com- 
munities have  arisen;  much  pioneer 
labor  must  still  be  done. 

1847-1 947.  Soon  comes  1 939.  Less 
than  nine  years  remain  in  which  to 
726 


few: 

The  state  will  furnish  us  with  its 
program,  and  a  list  of  agencies  work- 
ing on  the  project. 

We  have  our  own  comprehensive 
program,  furnished  by  the  Church 
to  stake  and  ward  committees. 

The  U.  S.  A.  C.  of  Logan,  the 


people  in  every  line  of  endeavor 
necessary  to  put  over  our  project. 
We  may  organize  committees  of  men 
and  women  under  the  established 
Church  Welfare  Committee,  and  set 
to  work.  If  we  begin  with  the  things 
that  most  need  improving  and  beau- 
tifying, we  shall  more  quickly  show 
the  improvement  in  our  community. 


THE     IMPROVEMENT     ERA,     DECEMBER,     1938 


Now  for  action! 

From  the  survey  made  and  tabu- 
lated, let  us  make  a  comprehensive 
community  program,  to  include  pub- 
lic buildings,  churches,  homes,  fac- 
tories, farms,  recreational  centers, 
parks,  highways,  and  set  committees 
or  organizations  to  work  on  the  par- 
ticular work  assigned  to  them. 

In  the  planting  of  flowers,  shrubs, 
and  trees,  we  should  find  out  what 
was  planted  by  the  Pioneers  who  first 
came  into  our  section  of  the  country, 
and  plant  some  of  them  again  in  our 
gardens,  and  thus  keep  alive  the 
spirit  and  beauty  representative  of 
our  Pioneers. 

"Pvery  Pioneer  garden  had  its  herb 
patch  near  the  house  where 
mint,  sage,  savory,  catnip,  and  many 
other  savory  and  sweet-scented 
herbs  grew.  Often  also  lavender, 
lemon  plant,  sweet-scented  gerani- 
um, old  man,  and  a  broad-leafed 
sweet-scented  plant  we  called  "old 
woman."  Then  among  the  flowers 
one  would  find  sweet  rocket,  flags, 
stocks,  lady  slippers,  moss  roses,  the 
vivid  yellow  rose  with  its  sharp, 
rather  bitter  perfume.  The  first 
settlers  must  also  have  used  the 
flowers  and  shrubs  and  trees  that 
grew  about  them. 

Thrift  and  beauty  are  good  com- 
panions. Nature  puts  on  a  new 
dress  each  spring.  If  you  can't 
paint  up,  whitewash  up. 

Hedges  of  currant  and  other  fruit- 
bearing  shrubs  could  mark  the 
boundaries  around  the  farm,  and  the 
division  fences  between  fields,  along 
irrigation  ditches,  around  the  home 
vegetable  garden,  around  the  farm 
buildings,  and  along  the  road-side 
fence.     Shrubs,   trees,   and  flowers 

FOUNTAIN  AND  ROCK  GARDEN  AT  THE  HOME 
OF  THE  AUTHOR,  ROSE  W.  BENNETT. 


that  are  natural  in  your  vicinity 
could  also  be  planted  in  this  way, 
and  these  natural  hedges  would  add 
the  beauty  to  our  fields  that  makes 
the  European  landscape  so  lovely; 
and  would  also  provide  fruit,  as  in 
the  Pioneer  days.  Also,  along  these 
hedges  we  could  drop  seeds  of  wild 
asters — purple  and  yellow,  golden- 
rod,  sunflowers,  poppies,  larkspur, 
bachelor's  buttons,  cosmos  and  many 
other  flowers  you  can  think  of  that 
seed  themselves  after  the  first  plant- 
ing. Year  after  year,  they  give 
beauty  to  the  landscape,  and  afford 
heaps  of  cut  flowers  for  home  and 
church  decoration. 

If  you  have  many  rocks  about, 
make  a  rock  garden,  or  use  them  for 
borders  about  your  garden.  Stack 
them  in  a  corner  and  fill  the  crevices 
with  soil,  and  plant  them  with  low 
growing  flowers  or  creeping  plants, 
ivy,  etc.  If  you  have  many,  and 
they  are  large  rocks,  make  your  di- 
vision fences  of  them;  or,  if  rocks  are 
put  in  front  of  fence  plantings,  they 
will  keep  the  plants  within  bounds. 
Flat  rocks  make  ideal  dry  paths  un- 
der clothes  lines,  and  if  there  is  lawn 
to  set  them  in,  beauty  is  also  added. 

One  shrub  much  recommended 
for  planting  in  home  grounds,  church 
and  public  grounds,  parks,  etc.;  in 
fact,  any  place  where  a  shrub  is  de- 
sirable, is  the  lilac.  It  is  disease- 
proof,  beautiful  in  blossom,  or  as  a 
leafy  shrub,  will  grow  anywhere, 
and  is  not  hard  to  care  for.  There 
are  many  varieties  to  choose  from, 
and  many  shades  of  color — from 
white,  through  light  purple  to  almost 
red.  The  Persian  variety  is  the  most 
satisfactory  of  all.  There  are  many 
other  desirable  flowering  shrubs. 
Along  the  ditches  that  run  beside  so 
many  of  our  country  roads,  let  us 
gather  the  seeds  of  the  native  water 


GARDEN  PATH  BORDERED  BY  FLOWERS  AND 
SHRUBS,  AT  THE  HOME  OF  THE  AUTHOR,  ROSE 
W.  BENNETT. 

plants,  and  systematically  plant  them 
at  intervals  sufficiently  close  to  as- 
sure a  continual  stretch  of  color. 
Buttercups,  monkey  flowers — many 
others  you  will  find  there,  and,  at  in- 
tervals, the  lordly  cattail,  bullrush, 
kept  within  bounds,  also  the  lovely 
Iris  (flags)  love  a  ditch  bank — and 
a  clear  space  here  and  there  for 
health-giving  watercress.  Beyond 
the  ditch,  near  the  fence,  trees,  na- 
tive shrubs,  sunflowers,  bee  flowers 
(Cleome),  goldenrod,  wild  asters, 
chicory — the  lovely  blue  flower  seen 
in  some  localities  (blue  flowers  are 
rare,  and  should  be  cultivated), 
hollyhocks,  cosmos,  and  castor 
beans.  There  should  be  no  ugly  va- 
cant spots  about  a  home. 

T  et  us  use  all  available  local  re- 
sources before  sending  elsewhere 
for  materials.  Remember,  we  are 
pioneers  in  our  own  locality;  we  are 
on  our  metal;  resolved  to  make  our 
community  peculiar  to  itself,  and 
famous  for  the  things  of  value  it  has 
and  does — perhaps  certain  flowers 
or  fruits,  livestock,  farm  products, 
handicrafts,  or  other  cultural  things 
— homes  built  of  local  materials  and 
planted  with  native  trees  and  shrubs, 
as  far  as  possible. 

As  home  owners  we  should  first 
improve  and  beautify  our  own  homes, 
and  surroundings,  and  then  help  our 
neighbor,  if  he  needs  help.  We 
should  find  a  use,  through  our  com- 
mittees or  clubs,  for  all  surplus 
plants,  seeds,  and  shrubs.  Home- 
grown seeds  are  fresh  and  full  of 
life.  In  saving  seeds,  it  is  wise  to 
allow  only  the  first  few  seed  pods  to 
ripen — they  are  usually  the  best. 
Then  we  should  cut  off  all  other 
(Concluded  on  page  744) 
727 


THE  CHURCH  IN 


NEW  YORK  BAY  BETWEEN  MANHATTAN  AND 
GOVERNOR'S  ISLAND,  ABOUT  AS  IT  APPEARED 
IN    PARLEY  P.  PRATT'S  TIME. 


FOR  a  century  the  Church  has  met 
the  spiritual  and  social  needs 

of  its  people  in  the  rural  West. 
What  has  it  to  offer  the  urban  East? 
Such  was  the  challenge  four  years 
ago,  when,  after  one  hundred  and 
four  years,  the  Church  organized  a 
stake  in  the  state  of  its  birth.  And 
such  continues  to  be  the  challenge 
today,  because  never  before  or  since 
has  a  stake  been  organized  in  such 
a  populous  or  congested  area — and 
here  the  world  will  look  for  an  an- 
swer to  this  question. 

The  New  York  Stake  occupies  a 
strip  of  land  and  water  one  hundred 
miles  long  by  forty  wide.  It  includes 
all  of  the  city  of  Greater  New  York, 
Metropolitan  New  Jersey,  West- 
chester County,  the  whole  of  Long 
Island,  and  draws  from  the  north  as 
far  as  Stamford,  Connecticut.  More 
than  four  hundred  miles  of  coast 
line  embroider  its  meandering  east- 
ern boundaries.  In  spite  of  its  geo- 
graphic extensiveness,  however,  the 
great  majority  of  its  members  reside 
within  an  area  twenty  miles  square, 
situated  in  the  heart  of  the  metro- 
politan district. 

In  this  area  is  concentrated  a 
population  of  eleven  million  people. 
From  daybreak  till  10  a.  m.,  its  three 
million  breadwinners  converge  on 
the  city's  laboring  centers  by  boat, 
train,  trolley,  automobile,  taxi,  ele- 
vated lines,  buses,  and  subways. 
From  4  p.  m.  to  6  p.  m.,  the  home- 
ward journey  radiates  its  human 
waves  in  a  fan-like  pattern  back  to 
the  city's  dwelling  places.  By  7:30 
p.  m.,  the  bright  lights  of  Broadway, 
728 


By  WILLIAM  L  WOOLF 

Of  the  New  York  Stake  Presidency 

jpor  nearly  a  century  the  church  has  met  the  spiritual 
and  social  needs  of  its  people  in  the  rural  west. 
What  has  it  to  offer  the  urban  East?  What  can  it  do 
in  the  state  of  its  birth — in  the  world 's  greatest  metrop- 
OLIS?    The  WORLD  WILL  look  for  an  ANSWER  TO  THIS  QUESTION. 


have  reached  their  homes  in  the 
morning  hours,  the  sober-headed 
early  workers  have  started  to  repeat 
the  inward  rush  of  another  day. 
From  dawn  to  dawn,  this  rushing  to 
and  fro  has  netted  the  transportation 
companies  ten  million  fares,  a  figure 
well-designed  to  maintain  strap 
hanging  in  top  place  among  New 
York  City's  "indoor  sports." 

But  the  day  has  netted  more  than 
fares.  One  hundred  thousand  vis- 
itors will  have  registered  in  six  hun- 
dred hotels  with  one  hundred  fifty 
thousand  rooms.  One  and  a  quar- 
ter million  school  children  will  have 
dodged  to  school,  exposed  them- 
selves to  modern  education,  and 
ventured  home  again.  The  stock 
exchange  will  have  done  a  business 
of  $10,000,000.  Seventeen  million 
dollars  worth  of  goods  will  have 
been  manufactured  in  the  city's 
many  factories;  and  retail  stores 
employing  four  hundred  thousand 
people  will  have  sold  two  million 
dollars  worth  of  goods.  Ten  million 
dollars  in  merchandise,  silver,  or 
gold  will  have  been  imported  or  ex- 
ported through  the  Lower  Bay,  and 
Uncle  Sam  will  have  collected   on 


«ffi>i*sm»  chum*. 


mmwJt/m^^^^^^^^i^ 


EXTERIOR,    MANHATTAN    CHAPEL 

like  the  pulling  force  of  the  moon, 
reverse  the  human  tide,  this  time  to 
reconverge  on  the  city's  amusement 
places.  By  11  p.  m.,  the  outbound 
current  is  strong  again,  but  before 
the  last  lingering  outbound  revelers 


NEW  YORK  CITY 


LOWER  NEW  YORK  TODAY  AS  SEEN  FROM  THE  BAY 

imported  goods  a  half  million  dol- 
lars in  duties.  One  murder  will 
have  been  committed,  forty  felonies, 
and  two  thousand  lesser  crimes. 
Three  people  will  have  committed 
suicide;  ten  to  fifteen  will  have  died 
of  alcoholism,  and  ten  times  as  many 
from  other  causes.  Two  hundred 
couples  will  have  been  married. 
Three  hundred  babies  will  have  been 
born  in  two  hundred  hospitals.  One 
hundred  fires  will  have  broken  out; 
the  city  governments  will  have  bor- 
rowed, or  otherwise  acquired,  three 
million  dollars,  and  twenty  thousand 
policemen  will  have  had  a  very  busy 
day. 

Among  the  actors  in  this  pageant 
of  the  masses  are  men  and  women  of 
every  human  race.  In  fact,  a  for- 
eign   accent  is  a   visitor's   first  im- 


pression of  the  play.  Two  and  a 
quarter  million  descendants  of  Judah 
walk  the  boards,  and  three  hundred 
thousand  who  bear  the  mark  of 
Ham.  Of  the  foreign  born,  a  half 
million  Russians  share  a  bow  with 
half  a  million  men  of  Italy,  and  a 
quarter  million  sons  of  Erin  balance 
the  stage  against  a  quarter  million 
Poles.  In  diminishing  numbers  are 
Germany's  pro-  and  anti-Nazis, 
Great  Britain's  English,  Scotch,  and 
Welsh;  men  from  Austria;  Nor- 
wegians, Swedes,  and  Danes,  and 
representatives  of  every  country  on 
the  globe. 

Among  these  teeming  millions,  not 
unlike  the  proverbial  needle  in  a 
haystack,  are  two  thousand  men  and 
women  who  term  themselves  Latter- 


SECOND  PRESIDENCY  OF  NEW  YORK  STAKE 
(LEFT  TO  RIGHT):  WILLIAM  L.  WOOLF,  FIRST 
COUNSELOR;  DR.  HARVEY  FLETCHER,  PRESI- 
DENT;    IVOR     SHARP,     SECOND     COUNSELOR. 


day  Saints.  Of  the  total  population, 
one  in  every  six  thousand  is  a  Mor- 
mon. If  this  same  ratio  prevailed 
in  Utah,  Salt  Lake  City  would  have 
twenty,  Ogden  five,  and  Logan  two. 

TX^ho  are  these  two  thousand  who, 
living  in  the  world,  knowing 
what  it  has  to  offer,  are  by  choice 
followers  of  Jesus  and  believers  in 
a  modern  prophet?  As  you  may 
have  surmised,  their  backgrounds 
are  as  diverse  as  those  of  the  people 
among  whom  they  live,  their  differ- 
ences being  limited  only  by  their 
numbers.  Among  them  are  to  be 
found  descendants  of  the  early 
Church  stalwarts;  grandsons  or 
great  grandsons  of  Hyrum  Smith, 
Brigham  Young,  Heber  C.  Kimball, 
Jedediah  M.  Grant,  Bishop  Edward 
Partridge,  George  Q.  Cannon, 
Erastus  Snow,  Amasa  M.  Lyman, 


THE    IMPROVEMENT    ERA,     DECEMBER,    1938 


FIRST  NEW  YORK  STAKE  PRESIDENCY  (LEFT 
TO  RIGHT):  HOWARD  S.  BENNION,  FIRST  COUN- 
SELOR; FRED  G.  TAYLOR,  PRESIDENT;  HAKON 
HAGLUND,   SECOND    COUNSELOR. 


the  Pratt  Brothers,  General  Wells, 
and  many  others.  These  people,  like 
some  thirty  per  cent,  of  the  New 
York  Stake  population,  are  west- 
ern born  and  reared,  but  New  York- 
ers by  adoption.  There  are  also 
many  converts,  comprising  the 
American-born  or  local  Saints,  and 
converts  from  overseas,  including 
Scandinavians,  Swiss,  Germans, 
Dutch,  Czechs,  and  others. 

Their  occupations  are  as  diverse 
as  their  backgrounds.  Among  them 
are  scientists,  teachers,  engineers, 
lawyers,  doctors,  artists,  architects, 
builders,  manufacturers,  account- 
ants, stenographers,  insurance  men, 
furriers,  tailors,  restauranteurs,  sea- 
men, superintendents,  decorators, 
promoters,  brokers,  real  estate  men, 
salesmen,  inventors,  investment  ad- 
visers, bankers,  statisticians,  econo- 
mists, buyers,  musicians,  dancers, 
actors,  taxidermists,  authors,  clerks, 
and  scores  of  others.  During  the 
week,  they  ply  their  trades  to  earn 
a  living  among  the  city's  millions. 
But  on  Sunday,  they  are  glad  to 
meet  together  in  an  atmosphere  en- 
tirely different,  where  the  law  of 
the  brother's  keeper  supersedes  the 
law  of  competition,  and  the  law  of 
gain  gives  way  to  the  golden  rule. 
The  meetinghouse  is  an  oasis  where 
the  Priesthood  takes  control,  shut- 
ting out  the  contentious  "isms"  of 
the  times — a  place,  where  one's  spirit 
gains  new  strength  feeding  on  the 
Word  of  God,  and  one  quaffs  again 
at  the  fountain  of  Him  who  said, 
"Whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water 
that  I  shall  give  him,  shall  never 
thirst."  The  New  York  Stake  is  a 
fine  example  of  divergent  peoples 
made  one  in  spirit,  in  purpose,  and 
in  love  through  the  mellowing  in- 
fluence of  the  Gospel. 
730 


Here  also  are  located  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Eastern  States  Mis- 
sion. A  valiant  band  of  crusaders 
have  borne  the  Gospel  standard  in 
New  York  City,  a  partial  list  includ- 
ing Parley  P.  Pratt,  Orson  Pratt, 
Samuel  Brannan,  Wilford  Wood- 
ruff, John  Taylor,  William  H.  Miles, 
John  Pingree,  Samuel  W.  Richards, 
Alonzo  P.  Kesler,  William  H.  Smart, 
E.  H.  Snow,  John  G.  McQuarrie, 


PARLEY    P.    PRATT,    WHO    INTRODUCED    THE 
RESTORED  GOSPEL  TO  NEW  YORK  CITY 

Ben  E.  Rich,  Walter  P.  Monson, 
George  W.  McCune,  B.  H.  Roberts, 
Henry  H.  Rolapp,  James  H.  Moyle, 
Don  B.  Colton,  and  Frank  Evans. 
The  Mission  Home  is  situated  at 
155  Riverside  Drive,  overlooking  the 
famous  Hudson  River,  the  inland 
route  to  a  great  continent,  and  for 
three  centuries  the  prize  of  kings. 
Through  this  harbor,  for  a  hundred 
years  have  passed  more  Saints  im- 
migrating to  America  or  going  to 
Europe  on  missions  than  perhaps 
all  other  harbors  combined.  It  was 
the  landing  place  in  Brigham's  day 
of  the  Nevada,  the  Arizona,  the 
Wisconsin,  the  Manhattan,  and 
other  famous  ships,  which  brought 
boatload  after  boatload  of  our  con- 


verted ancestors  to  American  shores. 
Overlooking  its  broad  expanse. 
President  Frank  Evans  and  Mrs. 
Evans  and  an  efficient  office  force 
are  comfortably  housed,  as  they 
labor  to  keep  the  Mission  efficient 
in  every  respect. 

The  New  York  Stake,  with  which 
the  Mission  has  no  official  connec- 
tion, is  divided  into  four  wards,  two 
independent  and  two  dependent 
branches:  Queens,  Brooklyn,  East 
Orange,  and  Manhattan  wards,  Bay 
Ridge,  Westchester,  North  Jersey, 
and  Ocean  Side  branches. 

The  fourth  largest  ward  is  Man- 
hattan, which  shares  with  the  stake 
a  beautiful  and  spacious  chapel  in  a 
Broadway  hotel  at  76th  Street.  The 
chapel  and  church  office  are  rented 
on  a  full-time  basis,  providing  great- 
ly appreciated  facilities  for  union 
meetings,  quarterly  conferences, 
stake  president's  office,  bishop's 
offices,  stake  employment  office,  and 
all  ward  functions.  Its  gymnasium 
is  in  constant  use,  its  being  the  only 
gymnasium  in  the  stake  at  all  times 
available  to  stake  membership.  It 
is  convenient  to  Columbia  Univer- 
sity, where  several  members  of  the 
Church  are  usually  enrolled.  Man- 
hattan Ward  is  about  evenly  di- 
vided between  unmarried  students 
and  young  people  from  the  West 
and  converts  of  German  descent. 
It  is  fully  organized  and  led  the 
Church  last  year  in  fast  offerings 
per  capita.  It  entertains  many  vis- 
itors and  investigators  and  spares 
no  effort  to  conduct  programs  with 
appeal  to  all  classes  in  the  great 
metropolis. 

TThese  thriving  wards  and  branches 

have  not  been   built  in  a  day. 

(Continued  on  page  754) 

INTERIOR  MANHATTAN  WARD  CHAPEL 


"I 


COMMONPLACE 

THINGS 


would  be  a  cinch," 
I  often  told  myself.  "If  I  only  had 
something  to  stimulate  my  ambition 
and  ability!"  I  could  not,  for  finan- 
cial reasons,  pack  my  grip  and  tour 
the  world  until  I  found  the  desired 
spot,  circumstance,  and  condition 
which  would  ignite  the  spark  of  my 
ability  and  hand  me  over  to  the  world 
a  flaming  young  novice,  to  become, 
in  a  few  years,  someone's  favorite, 
well-known  author.  So  I  curled  up 
in  an  old-fashioned  armchair,  before 
a  big  open  fireplace,  and  there,  while 
a  drizzling  fall  rain  beat  a  march  time 
measure  on  the  window-pane,  I 
watched  the  dying  embers  slowly 
cool  and  crumble  to  ashes.  I'd  just 
have  to  go  on  being  another  com- 
monplace young  woman,  because  I 
was  tied  to  a  commonplace  environ- 
ment. I  pulled  the  robe  snugly 
around  my  legs  and  mourned  my 
plight — the  flame  of  my  ambition 
killed  by  commonplace  things. 

My  thoughts  were  just  leading  me 
into  a  very  disagreeable  mood, 
when  they  were  interrupted  by  the 
sound  of  footsteps  on  the  porch, 
followed  by  a  quick  knock. 

Who  could  it  be?  I  lifted  the  latch 
and  opened  the  door.  Peering  out 
into  the  darkness,  I  could  make  out 
what  appeared  to  be  a  drenched 
young  lady. 

"Are  you  Babs?"  she  asked,  push- 
ing back  a  soaked  felt  hat. 

"Why,  yes,  I  am." 

"I'm  Thressa  McDonald.  Carrie 
Mace  told  me  to  stop  with  you. 
Carrie's  one  of  my  best  friends." 

"I'm  always  glad  to  know  a  friend 
of  Carrie's.  Carrie  is  one  of  my 
best  friends,  too,"  I  told  her,  as  I 
helped  her  off  with  her  luxurious  fur 
coat.  "You'd  better  slip  out  of  those 
shoes.     How  did  you  get  so  wet?" 

"My  car  stopped  down  by  the 
bend.  It  wouldn't  budge;  so  I  just 
bailed  out  and  footed  it."  She 
laughed,  "I'm  always  doing  some- 
thing like  this." 

I  soon  had  her  warm  and  com- 
fortable. She  was  a  very  pretty  girl, 
blonde  and  with  laughing  gray  eyes. 
I  learned  that  her  father  was  a  big 
banker  in  New  York,  and  she  the 
only  child.  She  had  met  Carrie  there 
and  the  two  had  been  great  friends 
ever  since  Carrie  had  escaped  from 
this  "hole"  and  its  commonplace 
surroundings  and  had  gone  to  New 


A  SHORT 
SHORT 
STORY 


By  ROBERTA  PLATT 


York  to  live  with  her  wealthy  aunt. 

"Carrie  told  me  you  were  one  of 
America's  minor  authors."  She 
spoke  from  the  depths  of  the  arm- 
chair. 

"You  mean  she  mentioned  my 
whim  to  write,"  I  corrected. 

"Is  it  just  a  whim?" 

"Well,  that's  about  all  it  has 
amounted  to." 

"But — why?" 

"Just  this,"  I  waved  my  hand 
around  the  room,  "and  that  out  there. 
There  isn't  anything  to  become 
poetic  or  literary  about.  What  I 
need  is  something  inspiring,  if  you 
see  what  I  mean." 

"I  do,  and  I  know."  At  last  some- 
one understood. 

It  was  with  this  introduction  that 
the  conversation  came  to  center  on 
me  and  my  career.  The  wind  had 
gone  down,  the  rain  had  ceased  and 
the  clock  above  the  fireplace  had 
doled  out  the  hour  of  two,  before 
we  called  our  conversation  to  a  close. 

"I  nearly  forgot,"  Thressa  Mc- 
Donald said  as  she  arose.     "Carrie 


sent  you  a  letter  by  me.  Here  it  is." 
I  showed  my  guest  to  her  room, 
but  I  was  too  excited  to  go  to  bed. 
Tomorrow  was  nearly  here.  To- 
morrow! The  day  I  had  always 
dreamed  about.  From  now  on  it 
would  be  New  York  for  me!  New 
York,  bright  lights,  dressing  for  din- 
ners, nights  at  the  opera,  and  Thres- 
sa McDonald,  the  daughter  of  New 
York's  wealthiest  banker.  She  un- 
derstood and  liked  me.  She  be- 
lieved in  me.  I  danced  up  and 
down  the  length  of  the  room.  I 
would  write,  write,  write!  The 
things  I  would  see  and  do  would  be 
my  inspiration  and  I  would  write. 
What  would  Carrie  think  about 
Thressa's  most  generous  offer? 
Then  I  remembered  Carrie's  letter. 
Hastily  I  tore  open  the  envelope. 
It  began: 

Dearest  Babs, 

I'm  homesick  tonight,  so  if  I  get  senti- 
mental just  toss  me  overboard.  I  don't  know 
what  ails  me.  Aunt  Marg  says  I'm  queer. 
So  queer  I  am— if  Aunt  Marg  says  so. 

I'm  just  sick  to  come  home  again.  I've 
often  wondered  if  things  have  changed 
much.  Do  the  kids  still  play  ball  in  the 
vacant  lot,  and  does  the  old  woman  still 
scrape  her  frying  pan? 

JfuNNY,  Carrie  would  re- 
member that.  I  smiled  as  I  thought 
of  the  queer  little  rock  image  in  the 
cliff  across  the  fields  west  of  the 
house.  When  we  were  kids  we  had 
pictured  it  as  an  old  lady  standing 
in  the  doorway  scraping  out  scraps 
from  her  frying  pan  to  a  busy  little 
dog  on  the  steps.    I  read  on: 

Gee,  Babs,  but  wouldn't  I  like  a  dollar  for 
every  time  we've  waded  the  creek,  pushed 
our  way  through  those  oaks,  and  climbed 
the  steep  old  cliff,  only  to  find  that  the  old 
lady  had  gone  back  in  her  rock  house  and 
closed  the  door  behind  her.  I'll  never  forget 
the  time  when  your  disappointment  was  so 
great  that  you  dropped  that  tousled  red  head 
of  yours  in  my  lap  and  cried  for  at  least 
twenty  minutes. 

Yes,  Aunt  Marg  says  I'm  queer.  She 
said  any  twenty-year-old  girl  who  would 
talk  of  riding  nine  miles  over  a  canyon  road 
on  a  hayrack  is  a  queer  person.  I  wouldn't 
argue  with  her.  She  wouldn't  understand 
about  the  memories  this  holds  for  me. 

Do  you  remember,  Babs?  It  was  cool 
in  the  evenings  after  the  sun  had  dropped 
behind  the  mountains.  I  shall  never  forget 
the  times  when  your  dad  lifted  us  on  the 
wagon.  He  always  fixed  us  a  place  with  a 
little  hay  and  a  quilt.  It  was  as  comfortable 
as  an  upholstered  car  seat,  wasn't  it?  Re- 
member how  we  would  swing  our  feet  over 
the  edge  of  the  rack,  singing  as  we  moved 
(Concluded  on  page  756) 

731 


"WINE  IS  A  MOCKER 


// 


By  EVA  WILLES  WANGSGARD 


"Wine  is  a  mocker,  strong  drink  is  raging, 
and  whosoever  is  deceived  thereby  is  not 
wise."     Proverbs  XX:  1. 


Ever  since  the  beginnings  of  his- 
tory the  prophets  and  teachers 
of  the  people  have  been  search- 
ing for  an  effective  way  of  combating 
the  evil  of  beverage  alcohol,  for  its 
use  has  always  been  admittedly  an 
evil.  The  early  method  and  the 
most  usual  has  been  for  the  leaders 
to  warn  the  people  against  its  ill 
effects  and  to  preach  concerning 
their  slackening  morals.  The  Greeks 
varied  this  by  using  the  example  of 
an  intoxicated  slave  at  a  banquet 
which  the  young  men  attended  with 
their  elders. 

During  all  this  time,  alcohol  was 
generally  considered  by  doctors  and 
laymen  alike  to  be  a  stimulant.  This 
assumption  was  based  chiefly  on 
observation.  The  person  under  the 
influence  of  alcohol  is  characterized 
by  a  flushed  skin  and  a  rapid  pulse. 
These  are  two  symptoms  commonly 
linked  with  the  effects  of  a  stimulant. 

Recent  investigations,  however, 
have  disclosed  the  fact  that  these 
symptoms  are  produced  by  the  re- 
laxing of  the  nerve  control,  which 
effect  is  the  reverse  of  stimulation. 
In  this,  as  in  other  ways,  "wine  is  a 
mocker." 

Before  we  proceed  further  let  us 
stop  to  define  the  words  stimulant 
and  narcotic.  Obviously,  we  can 
neither  condemn  nor  condone  a  sub- 
stance intelligently  or  convincingly 
until  we  can  prove  its  nature  and  its 
effects  on  the  human  system.  A 
stimulant  is  a  drug  which  will  rouse 
the  recipient  to  activity  or  which  will 
quicken  his  action.  A  narcotic  is  a 
depressant,  causing  relaxation,  sleep, 
and,  in  sufficient  quantities,  death. 
To  simplify,  we  might  say  that  a 
stimulant  renders  a  person  more 
sensitive  and  a  narcotic  makes  him 
less  sensitive. 

The  investigations  and  experi- 
ments which  this  article  discusses 
were  conducted  in  the  Nutrition 
Laboratory  of  the  Carnegie  Institute 
of  Washington,  D.  C,  in  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  May  28th,  1915. 
They  were  the  work  of  Doctor  Ray- 
mond Dodge  and  Doctor  Francis 
G.  Benedict.  Their  processes  and 
732 


results  were  published  in  their  book, 
Psychological  Effects  of  Alcohol, 
An  Experimental  Investigation  of 
the  Effects  of  Moderate  Doses  of 
Alcohol  on  a  Related  Group  of 
N euro-Muscular  Processes  in  Man. 
This  book  is  now  out  of  print,  but 
may  be  read  at  the  libraries  of  the 
University  of  Utah  and  the  Utah 
State  Agricultural  College  and  in 
many  other  school  and  public  libra- 
ries throughout  the  nation. 

These  scientists  felt  that  there  had 
been  a  great  deal  of  desultory  ex- 
perimental attention  given  to  alcohol 
but  no  exhaustive  study  as  there  had 
been  of  proteins,  carbohydrates,  and 
fats.  They  laid  out  a  plan  of  pro- 
cedure two  years  before  they  were 
able  to  begin  their  experiments  and 
distributed  that  plan  widely  among 
the  scientists  of  the  world.  It  met 
with  such  widespread  approval  that 
they  knew  they  had  planned  to  fill  a 
long-felt  need.  Many  eminent 
scientists,  whom  they  list  in  their 
preface,  wrote  encouraging  letters 
and  sent  in  helpful  suggestions. 

Of  course,  they  met  a  great  many 
technical  and  practical  difficulties, 
but  they  chose  their  subjects  with 
great  care,  eliminated  such  compli- 
cations as  could  be  eliminated,  and 
in  every  way  secured  as  reliable  data 
as  is  possible  to  obtain  from  human 
subjects  in  the  time  they  had  to 
devote  to  the  work.  They  devoted 
a  year  to  this  particular  study. 

They  desired  to  try  their  experi- 
ments on  all  classes  of  subjects,  i.  e., 
total  abstainers,  occasional  users, 
moderate  drinkers,  habitual  drinkers 
who    took    less    than    thirty    cubic 


centimeters  per  day,  and  excessive 
drinkers.  Of  these,  the  first  and  last 
were  the  most  difficult  to  secure. 
With  the  first  group  the  difficulty 
lay  in  getting  the  abstainer  to  take 
a  drink,  even  for  experimental  pur- 
poses. With  the  last  group,  the  dif- 
ficulty lay  in  getting  the  subjects  to 
leave  alcohol  alone  long  enough  to 
get  a  normal  reaction.  The  subjects 
were  required  to  be  of  legal  age  and 
to  be  college  graduates.  The  greater 
number  of  them  were  medical  stu- 
dents and  young  doctors. 

Next,  it  was  necessary  that  the 
subject  be  kept  in  ignorance  concern- 
ing whether  or  not  he  had  imbibed 
alcohol.  You  can  readily  see  that 
personal  opinion  would  have  influ- 
enced the  results  had  the  subject 
been  aware.  Therefore,  the  dosage 
of  alcohol  was  masked  in  a  bitter 
drink.  On  all  the  experimental  days 
this  drink  was  given,  but  only  on 
specific  days  was  the  alcohol  present. 

As  a  standard  dose  they  used 
thirty  cubic  centimeters  of  alcohol. 
In  some  experiments  this  was  in- 
creased. For  instance,  in  a  twelve- 
hour  experiment  the  subject  took 
twelve  cubic  centimeters  every  hour 
for  eight  hours.  In  another,  the 
dosage  was  forty-five  cubic  centi- 
meters and  in  a  third  and  fourth 
the  dosage  was  one  hundred  fifty 
cubic  centimeters  and  two  hundred 
twenty-five,  respectively. 

All  the  experiments  were  con- 
ducted in  a  specially  constructed 
laboratory  room  with  uniform  light- 
ing and  scientific  ventilation. 

TThe  first  experiment  consisted  in 
testing  the  knee-jerk.  The 
stimulus  was  a  sudden  blow  on  the 
petellar  tendon.  It  was  done  with 
a  uniform  percussion  hammer,  strik- 
ing at  a  uniform  place,  with  the  limb 
in  a  uniform  position.  Both  the 
swing  of  the  leg  and  the  time  of  the 
response  were  measured  by  a  scien- 
tific apparatus.  While  individuals 
differed  widely  in  this  test  and  the 
same  individual  differed  at  different 
times,  all  these  variations  were  con- 
sidered and  the  results  were  obtained 
with  full  understanding  of  them. 
The  conclusions  are  that  even  with 
the  dosage  as  low  as  thirty  cubic 
centimeters,  the  response  was  slower 
{Continued  on  page  743) 


TO  HARRISON  R.  MERRILL 
In  Memoriam 

By  Claire  Stewart  Boyer 

You  were  the  West!     Your  royal  wel- 
coming 
To  peak  and  gorge  and  waterfall  and  vale 
Was  picturesque  and  ardent  as  the  tale 
Of  pioneer  and  redman;  you  could  bring 
New  freedom  to  the  mind  whose  question- 
ing 
Had  wearied  it,  new  courage  to  the  frail 
Heart  that  had  wandered  on  the  downward 

trail, 
New  hope  to  him  whose  spirit  willed  to  sing! 

You  are  the  West!    A  symbol  of  its  might! 
A  cornerstone  of  granite  that  will  keep 
Tradition  as  an  everlasting  light 
Within  our  lives!    You  do  not  lie  asleep! 
You  live  and  walk  as  always  in  our  sight, 
Building  the  West  more  sure,  more  true, 
more  deep! 


TO  "H.  R.  M." 

By  Catherine  Maughan,  one  of  his  students 

HE  shook  you  by  the  hand  and  searched 
your  soul 
And  found  whatever  good  it  had 
And  was  your  friend. 
You  felt  his  joy  and  sense  and  poetry, 
Resolved  to  know  him  better 
And  were  glad. 

"A  genial  figure  from  our  school 

Is  missing.    Hope  to  see  him  soon  again," 

The  paper  says. 

And  then, 

"He's  dead,"  they  say. 

"He's  gone  .  .  ." 

But  by-and-by  our  grief  will  pass, 
And  leave  us  thoughtfulness,  and  thankful- 
ness 
For  knowing  him. 

We'll  wonder  if  perchance  he  sees  us  yet,- — 
And  try  for  worthwhile  things. 

His  life  has  added  something  to  our  halls. 
His  memory  can  never  pass  away. 


LUXEMBOURG  GARDENS, 
CHRISTMAS  DAY 

(From  a  book   to  be  published  in    December, 
"Paris    Cycle.") 

By  Ruth  Harwood 

A  feeling  of  utter  peace  pervades  the 
**  gardens  today.  The  sun  has  come 
forth  to  give  a  golden  benediction,  and  the 
birds  are  joining  with  their  own  Christmas 
carols. 

The  bare  trees  are  a  delicate  network 
against  the  sky.  The  blue  mist,  so  typical 
of  Paris,  blends  the  tiniest  twigs  into  a 
phantom  winter  foliage  of  it's  own. 

This  is  a  season  of  silence  and  searching; 
a  time  when  roots  are  pushing  deep  into 
the  primal  earth,  and  empty  twigs  are 
sentient  with  their  prophecy  of  leaves. 

Thoughts  of  perfume  and  of  opened 
petals  are  but  dim  dreams  along  the  misty 
vistas  of  tomorrow. 


WINGS 

By  Maud  Merritt 

IF  I  could  grow  a  pair  of  wings 
I'd  fly  up  to  the  stars, 
Stop  in  for  tea  with  Venus, 
And  play  croquet  with  Mars. 

I'd  beg  a  ring  from  Saturn 
And  from  Jupiter  a  moon 

And  search  the  music  of  the  spheres 
To  copy  off  a  tune. 

I'd  snatch  a  bit  of  Heaven's  blue 

To  tie  around  my  waist 
While  seeing  if  the  Milky  Way 

Was  seasoned  to  my  taste. 

I'd  steal  a  bit  of  star-dust 
To  use  in  making  wishes 

And  cut  a  lining  from  a  cloud  .  .  . 
To  help  me  wash  the  dishes. 

And  yet ...  I  wonder  if  those  wings 
Would  tangle  up  my  apron-strings? 


«  ■♦  ■ 


A  PRAYER  SONNET 
By  Olive  C.Wehr 

Dear  God,  O  let  me  not  one  hour  forget 
How  very  soon  my  little  candle's  light 
May  flicker  out  within  the  waiting  night, 
And  leave  the  pattern  all  unfinished  yet! 
There  is  no  time  to  falter,  nor  to  fret, 
Nor    waste    the    precious    hours    in    vain 

delight, 
Nor  yet  in  thoughtless  word  of  pride  or 

spite, 
With  life's  one  challenge  evaded  or  half  met! 

But,  remembering  the  utter  preciousness 
Of  every  hour,  O  may  I  grow  serene 
And  big,  apart  from  every  pettiness! 
May  I,  with  hands  and  thoughts  both  strong 

and  clean, 
But  weave  into  my  tiny  life's  design 
That  immortal  pattern  of  the  plan  divine. 


CHRISTMAS  PLEA 

By  Christie  Lund  Coles 

Again  tonight  I  hear  the  Christmas  bells; 
I  see  the  snow  like  jewels  on  the  earth; 
I  watch  the  quiet  stars;  emotion  wells 
Within  me  at  remembrance  of  His  birth, 
Remembrance    of    the    message    that    He 

brought 
Of  peace  and  love,  of  brotherhood's  good 

will; 
The  simple,  ageless  truths  His  mercy  taught 
That  in  the  soul  of  man  re-echo  still. 

And  yet,  we  plan  our  wars,  we  contemplate 
Their  inhumanities,  their  lust,  their  greed, 
Their  awful  deadly  ministry  of  hate, 
Forgetful  of  man's  pitiable  need. 

Oh,  Men  of  Nations,  let  His  memory  still 
Make  brotherhood  a  dream  we  must  fulfill. 


MOTHER  OF  A  MISSIONARY 

(A  Sonnet) 

By  Linda  S.  Fletcher 

too,  would  sing,  as  Hannah  sang  of  old 
*■#  Unto  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  the  Mighty  One, 
When  sacrificingly  she  brought  her  son 
Unto  the  Temple's  scarlet,  purple,  gold; 
And  sing  as  Mary,  when  to  her  unrolled 
The  precious  knowledge  of  what  God  had 

done, 
And  joy  of  matchless  motherhood  she'd  won, 
Though  sword  would  pierce  and  anguish 

her  enfold! 
For  as  these  two,  with  dedicating  heart, 
Unto  Thy  Temple,  I  my  son  have  brought, 
To    yield    him    to   Thy  service   with    this 

prayer: 
May  Samuel's  hearing  ear  of  him  be  part, 
To  be  like  Mary's  Son,  his  ev'ry  thought, 
Then  songs  of  praise  my  heart  will  humbly 

share! 


Photo    by  Lionel  Green. 


YOUTH  SPEAKS 
By  Delia  Adams  Leitnev 

Adventuring  with  Jesus, 
A  challenge  to  my  soul 
To  pioneer  the  places 
Where  sin  seems  to  control. 
The  vast  domains  where  evil 
Entrenched  forbids  the  light, 
Forboding,  threatening,  harming 
All  efforts  for  the  right. 

But  oh,  the  call  insistent 
Brings  fortitude  to  dare 
To  take  the  Gospel  message 
And  prove  the  power  of  prayer. 
Christ  leads  and  I  will  follow, 
Nor  fear  the  hosts  of  sin: 
I  go  forth  in  His  courage 
New  victories  to  win. 


FRAUDS 
By  Alda  Fugal  Gardner 

JUTethinks  Dame  Nature's  quite  like  man, 

■"■!■  She  loves  to  play  a  joke 

And  cover  up  unseemly  things 

Beneath  a  lovely  cloak. 

Last  night  my  yard  was  quite  a  sight, 

It  wouldn't  bear  inspection, 

But  with  the  dawn  it  glistened  bright 

In  snowy  white  deception. 

733 


Photo  Courtesy  Deseret  News. 

THIS  INFORMAL  STUDY  OF  THE  COUNCIL  OF  THE  TWELVE  TAKEN  AT  THE  OCTOBER  CONFERENCE  SHOWS 
THE  QUORUM  ON  ONE  OF  THOSE  INFREQUENT  OCCASIONS  WHEN  ALL  ARE  PRESENT 
Front   row,  left  to  right :     Joseph  Fielding  Smith,  George  Albert  Smith,   Rudger  Clawson,   Reed  Smoot,  George 
F.  Richards,  Stephen  L.  Richards.     Back  row,  left  to  right:     Richard  R.  Lyman,  Melvin  J.  Ballard,  John  A.  Widtsoe, 
Joseph  F.  Merrill,  Charles  A.  Callis,  Albert  E.  Bowen,  and  extreme  right:  Sylvester  Q.  Cannon,  associate. 


Photo  Courtesy  Deseret  News. 
MISSION    PRESIDENTS   AT   THE   OCTOBER    CONFERENCE 

Left  to  right,  front  row:  Orlando  C.  Williams,  Spanish  American;  L.  Eugene  Neff,  Palmyra  Bureau 
of  Information;  Frank  Evans,  Eastern  States;  Elias  S.  Woodruff,  Central  States;  A.  Lorenzo  Anderson, 
Mexican;  Merrill  D.  Clayson,  Southern  States. 

Second  row:  William  W.  Seegmiller,  Western  States;  EIRay  L.  Christiansen,  Texas,  W.  Aird 
Macdonald,  California;  David  A.  Smith,  Canadian;  William  T.  Tew,  Jr.,   East  Central  States. 

Third  row:  Carl  F.  Eyring,  New  England;  David  A.  Broadbent,  North  Central  States;  Preston 
Nibley,  Northwestern  States;  Harold  W.  Pratt,  former  president  Mexican  Mission;  B.  S.  Hinckley,  Northern 
States. 


foim-On 


known  as  the  "scribbler,"  Brother  Dean 
has  written  numerous  poems,  and  spent 
two-and-a-half  years  in  Hawaii  setting 
them  to  native  music  for  an  eventual 
song  collection.  The  father  of  22  chil- 
dren, 67  grandchildren,  and  23  great- 
grandchildren, Brother  Dean  has  kept 
a  diary,  now  numbering  60  volumes, 
since  he  was  nineteen.  His  motto  is 
"Promptness  is  a  virtue." 


SHELLEY  STAKE  HONORS 
FOUNDER  OF  SAMOAN 
MISSION 

A  tribute  to  his  life-long  service  in 
■^  the  Church  was  paid  Joseph  H. 
Dean,  83-year-old  founder  of  the 
Samoan  Mission,  when  on  Sunday,  Oc- 
tober 30,  members  of  the  Shelley  Stake 
734 


M.  I.  A.  honored  him  with  a  pageant 
in  which  were  re-enacted  scenes  from 
his  own  life.  Born  in  Taunton,  Eng- 
land, Brother  Dean  emigrated  to  Mor- 
gan, Utah  in  1860,  via  sailing  vessel 
and  ox  team.  He  served  a  first  mission 
to  Hawaii  in  1877  and  in  1887  opened 
up  the  work  in  Samoa.    Affectionately 


JOSEPH    H.    DEAN 

DR.  WIDTSOE  IN  HAWAII 
"T\r.  John  A.  Widtsoe  of  the  Council 
of  the  Twelve  was  assigned  to  at- 
tend the  Oahu  Stake  Conference  held 
in  Honolulu,  Hawaii,  October  29  and 
30,  1938,  and  appointed  to  investigate 
and  report  on  educational  facilities  and 
other  Church  business.     Dr.  Widtsoe, 
accompanied  by  Mrs.  Widtsoe,  sailed 
from  Los   Angeles   aboard   the  S.    5. 
Matsonia,  October  20,   1938. 
ADMINISTRATION  BUILDING 
RISING  ON  CENTRAL 
STOREHOUSE  BUILDING 
PROJECT 

'T'he  newest  addition  to  the  cluster  of 
buildings  rising  on  the  eight-acre 
tract  at  7th  West  and  7th  South  streets 
in  Salt  Lake  City  and  known  as  the 
Central  Storehouse  Building  Project  of 
the  Church  Welfare  Plan,  is  the  Admin- 
istration Building,  now  under  construc- 
tion. The  structure,  which  will  house 
the  offices  and  the  distributing  facilities 
for  the  Salt  Lake  Region  and  at  the 
same  time  provide  storage  space  for 
surplus  commodities  from  other  regions 
to  be  handled  by  the  General  Commit- 
tee, will  be  ready  for  occupation  some- 
time in  February  or  March  of  1939. 
Employing  from  fifty  to  seventy  work- 
ers daily,  the  structure  is  the  fourth  unit 
to  be  built  in  connection  with  this 
project:  a  root  cellar  with  a  30-carload 
storage  capacity  is  already  in  use;  a 
completely  equipped  cannery  will  be 
occupied  early  in  December  depend- 
ing on  the  completion  of  the  heating 
plant.  The  accompanying  sketch  by 
Fetzer  and  Fetzer,  architects,  indicates 
that  beauty  has  not  been  sacrificed  to 
utility,  and  when  completed,  the  build- 
ing should  attract  many  more  than  the 
hundreds  who  from  far  and  near  have 
already  visited  the  project. 


THE     IMPROVEMENT     ERA,     DECEMBER,     1938 


ADMINISTRATION  BUILDING  OF  THE  CENTRAL  STOREHOUSE  BUILDING  PROJECT 


TWO  NEW  PRIMARY 
GENERAL  BOARD  OFFICERS 
CHOSEN 

TITrs.  Margaret  H.  Stromness, 
J-VA  formerly  superintendent  of  the 
Granite  Stake  Primary,  and  Mrs.  Ruth 
Wood  Higginbotham,  formerly  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Ensign  Stake  Board,  were 
chosen  by  Superintendent  May  Ander- 
son to  the  Primary  General  Board  on 
November  1,  1938. 

Both  of  these  women  come  well  quali- 
fied to  their  posts,  for  each  of  them 
has  had  long  service  in  the  Primary 
work. 

BUSINESS  ASSOCIATES 
ARRANGE  DINNER  FOR 
PRESIDENT  GRANT 

Cix-hundred-fifty  invitations  have 
*^  been  issued  for  a  dinner,  and  pro- 
gram honoring  President  Heber  J. 
Grant,  arranged  by  his  business  asso- 
ciates, for  Wednesday  evening,  No- 
vember 23rd,  in  the  Hotel  Utah,  Salt 
Lake  City.  The  list  of  invited  guests 
includes  leaders  of  business,  industry, 
and  the  professions,  from  throughout 
the  inland  west  and  the  nation.  Mem- 
bers of  the  General  Committee  in 
charge  of  arrangements  are:  John  F. 
Fitzpatrick,  Chairman;  Gus  P.  Back- 
man,  Orval  W.  Adams,  David  D.  Mof- 
fat, E.  O.  Howard,  Harold  H.  Bennett, 
Richard  L.  Evans,  George  Gadsby, 
J.  J.  Kelly,  Wendell  Smoot,  Elias  A, 
Smith,  Nelson  W.  Aldrich,  Guy  R. 
Toombes,  Julian  M.  Bamberger  and 
Robert  L.  Judd. 

Further  details  of  this  occasion,  given 
as  the  President  begins  his  83rd  year, 
will  be  noted  in  next  month's  Era. 

JOSEPH  F.  SMITH  FAMILY 
ASSOCIATION  HONORS 
FOUNDER 

/Commemorating  the  one-hundredth 
^  anniversary  since  the  birth  of  their 
illustrious  forefather,  Joseph  Fielding 
Smith,  sixth  president  of  the  Church, 
who  was  born  on  November  13,  1838 
and  died  November  19,  1918,  members 
of  the  Joseph  F.  Smith  Family  Asso- 
ciation gathered  at  the  Lion  House 
Saturday  evening,  November  12,  for  a 
turkey  dinner  followed  by  a  memorial 
program. 


MISSIONARIES  RETURN 
TO  ORIGINAL  FIELDS 

HPhe  missionaries  who  left  Germany 

and  Czechoslovakia  during  the  crit- 
ical period  of  the  Czech-German  set- 
tlements have  returned  to  their  various 
fields  of  labor  according  to  word  that 
has  been  received  in  the  First  Presi- 
dency's office  from  the  mission  presi- 
dents in  both  countries. 

DON  CARLOS  YOUNG  PASSES 

Joseph  Don  Carlos  Young,  83  years 
of  age,  last  surviving  son  of  President 
Brigham  Young,  answered  the  call  of 
death  October  19th. 

For  50  years  and  up  to  two  or  three 
years  ago,  Brother  Young  served  as  the 
official  architect  of  the  Church.  The 
Bishop's  Building  and  the  Church  Of- 
fice Building  are  monumental  structures 
of  his  designing. 

Brother  Young  had  given  much  time 
in  service  to  the  Church  both  in  the 
mission  field  and  at  home.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  original  High  Council 
of  Salt  Lake  Stake. 


Sunday,  October  2,  1938. 

President  Heber  J.  Grant  dedicated 
the  Logan  Institute,  which  is  adjacent 
to  the  U.  S.  A.  C.  at  Logan,  Utah. 

Sunday,  October  16,  1938. 

President  Heber  J.  Grant  was  the 
principal  speaker  at  a  meeting  held  in 
the  Eighteenth  Ward,  Ensign  Stake, 
commemorating  the  thirty-two  years  of 
service  performed  by  Bishop  Thomas 
A.  Clawson  and  his  counselors,  John 
A.  Evans,  L.  T.  Whitney,  and  Ezra  T. 
Stevenson,  and  the  ward  clerk,  Ernest 
D.  Schettler. 

Monday,  October  17,  1938. 

Special  exercises  at  the  Brigham 
Young  University  marked  the  sixty- 
third  anniversary  of  the  founding  of 
this  institution. 

Sunday,  October  23,  1938. 

George  A.  Christensen  was  sustained 
as  the  Bishop  of  the  27th  Ward,  Ensign 
Stake,  succeedng  Joel  Richards. 

Elder  Charles  A.  Callis  dedicated 
the  new  chapel  in  the  Reynolds  Branch, 
Malad  Stake. 

Monday,  October  24,  1938. 

Nicholas  Roosevelt,  in  his  book  en- 
titled A  New  Birth  of  Freedom, 
lauds  the  Mormon  Pioneers  and  states 
that  the  country  in  order  to  save  its 
freedom  must  return  to  the  same  cour- 
age, endurance,  and  self-sacrifice  as 
possessed  by  the  Mormon  Pioneers. 

Sunday,  October  30,  1938. 

Floyd  L.  Weed  was  sustained  as 
Bishop  of  the  26th  Ward,  Pioneer 
Stake,  succeeding  Leonard  C.  Rueckert. 

The  Sugar  House  Ward,  Highland 
Stake,  was  reorganized  with  Ernest  A. 
Nelson  as  Bishop,  succeeding  George 
W.  Burbidge. 


MISSIONARIES   LEAVING    FOR  THE   FIELD   FROM   THE   SALT   LAKE   MISSIONARY   HOME 
ARRIVED  OCTOBER  24,  1938— DEPARTED   NOVEMBER  3,   1938 

Left  to  right,  first  row:  Newel  C.  McMillan,  E.  Raymond  Horsley,  Margaret  E.  Hardy,  Kay  Cheney, 
Mildred  Hansen,  Doris  Porter,  Dorothy  Hurst,  J.  Le  Grande  Shupe,  Sherman  Turner. 

Second  row:  Pres.  Don.  B.  Colton,  Morris  Rowley,  Dean  G.  Huntsman,  Edith  Bair,  Mrs.  Beulah 
J.  Farnsworth,  Gladys  Heileson,  Sue  Carmen  Jennings,  Milton  J.  Rasmussen,  Andrew  B.  Shumway, 
Instructor  William  E.  Barrett. 

Third  row:  Melvin  J.  Hogge,  Dennis  Farnsworth,  Jr.,  Warren  S.  Ottley,  Glen  L.  Rudd,  Emily 
Anderson,  Sister  Don  B.  Colton,  Norma  Anne  Haymore,  Merrill  Biddulph,  Grant  F.  Taylor,  Deloy  Leavitt, 
Vern   H.  Jensen. 

Fourth  row:  Daniel  Leatham,  William  F.  Bundy,  Kart  D.  Reeder,  Ray  J.  Kirkland,  Johtv  A. 
Hopkin,  Grant  W.  Cooley,  J.  Marcell  Pitcher,  Joel  ft.  Huff,  Dellis  Johnson,  George  F.  Swenson. 

Fifth  row:  Howard  L.  Lund,  Edwin  H.  Smart,  Philip  J.  Dixon,  Stephen  R.  Davis,  Morris  L. 
Mickelson,  Gerald  W.  Smith,  Royal  D.  Anderson,  Clyde  W.  Fowler,  G.  Venoy  Gay. 

Sixth  row:  Douglas  N.  Thompson,  Charles  S.  Anderson,  Don  F.  Robertson,  Eric  I.  Bundy,  Clark  0- 
Thompson,  Donald  B.  Garrick,  Theo.  H.   Richards,  Max  W.  Simkins,  A.  William  Lake,  Delmar  Braegger. 

Seventh  row:  Sherman  Douglas  Park,  J.  Ray  Bryan,  Dehlin  A.  Erickson,  Niels  J.  Anderson,  Wendelt 
K.  Young,  Earl  M.  Fitzgerald,  Harold  W.  Tadje,  G.  Watson  Eatough,  Joseph  E.  Bateman 

Eighth  row:  Junior  D.  Carson,  Howard  L.  Randall,  Glen  M.  Acomb,  Martelt  Bodell,  Homer  Krrkham, 
Marion  J.  Evertson,  Phil  C.  Dana,  Dwight  Dana,  H.  John  Madsen,  F.  Alan  Spencer. 

Ninth  row:    Junior  Thomas  Lundgreen,  Clyde  Hart,  William  E.  Toone. 


735 


fcdihfimL 


•$if>L  io  yojdk-1938 

Again  we  approach  that  heart-warming,  soul- 
cheering  time  of  year  at  which  we  commem- 
orate anew  the  birth  of  the  Savior  of  mankind. 
But  with  the  coming  of  the  Christmas  season  we 
find  ourselves  still  facing  the  realities  of  life  as  we 
always  have  in  the  past,  and  as  we  shall  continue 
to  do  as  long  as  life  shall  last. 

The  seasoned  traveler  has  learned  to  accept  these 
realities — even  to  welcome  them — for  the  glory  of 
conquest  and  the  thrill  of  overcoming,  for  he  knows 
that  without  hills  to  climb  and  broken  country  to 
traverse,  dull,  deteriorating  monotony  sets  in. 

But  with  youth  it  may  be  different.  The  all- 
engrossing  business  of  education  and  preparation 
has  in  most  cases  kept  his  attention  from  the  actual 
battle  of  life,  wherein  a  man  does  what  he  does  and 
becomes  what  he  becomes  by  his  own  effort. 

Then  comes  youth's  awakening,  and,  as  with  all 
awakenings,  the  fading  of  many  dreams.  There 
comes  a  day  when  we  realize  that  we  can  no  longer 
conscientiously  accept  the  support  of  others,  and 
winning  our  own  support  is  more  difficult  than  it 
appeared  to  be  from  the  sidelines.  No  longer  can 
we  be  content  with  merely  being  the  son  of  some- 
one. We  must  establish  our  own  identity  and  rear 
our  own  families,  and  the  responsibilities  which 
seemed  so  natural  to  our  parents  take  on  new  mag- 
nitude. No  longer  can  we  afford  to  be  students 
only.  We  must  become  teachers.  No  longer  may 
we  devote  ourselves  wholly  to  the  theoretical.  We 
must  venture  into  the  practical.  No  longer  is  the 
world  waiting  for  us  to  prepare  for  life.  It  is 
waiting  for  us  to  live  it,  to  face  its  realities,  to  solve 
its  problems,  to  improve  its  conditions,  and  to  do  for 
the  next  generation  that  which  has  been  done 
for  us,  with  such  improvements  as  would  be  ex- 
pected because  of  time  and  cumulative  experience. 

And  so  comes  the  awakening  that  brings  us  face 
to  face  with  reality.  The  job  is  not  easy.  Who 
but  a  weakling  would  wish  that  it  were?  The  prob- 
lems have  not  all  been  solved.  Who  but  a  dullard 
would  want  them  to  be?  The  future  is  unpre- 
dictable. Read  your  history! — when  wasn't  it? 
The  world  is  so  greatly  changing.  Be  thankful  for 
that — so  long  as  our  principles  and  ideals  and  ulti- 
mate destination  do  not  change  with  it;  progress 
is  change.  Livelihood  is  not  secure.  It's  up  to  us 
to  make  it  secure. 

So  run  the  objections  and  the  answers  to  those 
objections,  which  became  articulate  in  the  mind  of 
the  writer  while  acting  on  a  committee  of  Presi- 
dent Grant's  business  associates.  They  were  pre- 
paring to  honor  him  at  a  banquet  as  he  begins  the 
83rd  year  of  his  life,  and  it  became  necessary  to  pre- 
pare a:  program  statement  that  would  typify  the  life 
of  this  great  leader.  From  due  process  of  thought 
there  came  these  obvious  conclusions : 

To  look, at. this  man  now  one  might  be  lead  to  suppose 
that  the1  obstacles  of  his  life  had  faded  away  before  him.  It 
would  be  possible  to  believe  that  the  rough  places  had  been 
easily  traversed  by  his  determined  stride,  that  success  had 
c6me  with  moderate  effort,  that  Providence  had  spared  him 
much  of  life's  travail.    The  flawless  performance  of  a  master 


musician  looks  easy,  too,  and  in  our  enjoyment  of  his  art, 
we  sometimes  close  our  thoughts  to  the  toil  and  heartbreak, 
the  faith  and  vision,  that  mark  the  upward  course.  This  man 
is  great,  not  because  he  has  been  spared  the  hardships  of 
life,  but  because  he  has  overcome  them.  Providence  gave 
him  strength,  not  ease;  courage,  not  protection;  faith,  not  a 
favored  lot;  integrity,  not  freedom  from  temptation. 

It  is  well  remembered  that  a  look  back  through  the  years 
of  Heber  J.  Grant  now,  presents  a  much  different  picture 
from  the  view  he  had  when  he  was  at  the  other  end  looking 
this  way.  We  know  now  what  he  was  destined  to  become, 
but  he  knew  then  only  that  life  must  be  lived  honorably  and 
industriously,  in  order  that  a  widowed  mother  might  be  cared 
for,  that  a  family  might  be  reared,  and  that  the  Lord,  his 
Maker,  might,  at  that  day  when  all  shall  stand  before  Him, 
say  "Well  done." 

And  from  these  thoughts  we  offer  our  gift  to 
youth  for  Christmas  1938 — and  for  all  the  years 
and  generations  to  come:  If  life  is  not  what  it 
ought  to  be,  it  is  yours  to  make  it  what  it  should 
be.  Change  whatever  you  wish  to  change,  within 
the  limits  of  truth,  noble  ideals,  and  fundamental 
principles,  and  your  own  generation,  and  genera- 
tions yet  unborn,  will  rise  to  call  you  blessed. 

— R.  L.  E. 

(L  QhhidlmaiL,  JJwucfhL 

"Plying  snow  and  holly  berries,  clearer  sight  and 
keener  minds — all  are  indications  of  the  Christ- 
mas season.  The  exuberance  of  spring  has  ebbed; 
the  languor  of  summer  has  vanished;  the  haze  of 
autumn  has  cleared;  and  the  vigor  of  winter  sends 
new  blood  coursing  through  our  veins. 

Clearer  sight  and  keener  minds  should  stimulate 
clearer  and  keener  insight  into  the  fundamentals  of 
living.  Those  who  live  and  work  with  young  peo- 
ple should  turn  their  eyes  critically  inward,  par- 
ticularly at  this  season,  and  let  the  mind  register 
truly  what  the  eye  sees.  Crying  needs  in  the 
world  today  demand  our  best  thinking  and  clear 
vision  in  directing  these  young  folk.  They  must 
be  shown  the  only  way  of  life.  They  are  now 
embarking  on  their  journey.  Their  vessel  may  be 
ever  so  seaworthy,  but  there  are  those  external 
forces  which  will  assail  them  unless  we  keep  the 
lighthouse  of  our  love  burning  brightly.  Fogs  of 
despair  will  arise  around  them,  but  the  beam  of  our 
light  can  penetrate  the  mists;  cross-currents  of 
worldly  beliefs  will  sweep  over  them  from  every 
direction  and  make  them  lose  their  way,  unless 
we  have  given  them  the  true  course  to  follow; 
waves  of  disbelief  will  buffet  them  from  the  charted 
way,  unless  we  have  provided  them  with  the  com- 
pass of  faith;  reefs  of  ignorance  will  offer  hazards 
unless  we  have  given  them  the  sure  knowledge  of 
true  principles;  the  tides  of  indolence  may  sweep 
their  frail  barks  into  a  backwash  and  stagnation 
unless  we  keep  the  lighthouse  of  our  and  their  faith 
replenished  from  the  Giver  of  Eternal  Light  and 
Life. 

At  this  season  when  our  thoughts  are  turned 
naturally  to  Him  in  whose  name  we  call  upon  the 
Father  of  us  all,  let  us  resolve  that  we  will  chart 
our  own  and  others'  courses  more  clearly,  that  we 
may  follow  in  the  way  He  showed  and  reach  the 
harbor  where  He  awaits  those  who  sail  the  true 
course.- — M.  C.  ]. 


736 


HELPING  OTHERS 

lo  HEL 


THEMSELV 


By  WILLIAM  MULDER 


"pROM  the  numerous  fronts  throughout 
the  Church  where  ward,  stake,  and 
regional  groups  are  pushing  forward  in 
a  major  offensive  against  material  need 
and  spiritual  depression  comes  the 
heartening  report  that  operations  float- 
ing the  banner  of  the  Church  Welfare 
Plan  are  realizing  with  no  small  success 
the  three-fold  objective  of  caring  for 
the  immediate  wants  of  the  needy,  find- 
ing the  jobless  permanent  employment, 
and  progressively  improving  existing 
conditions. 

Placing  confidence  in  the  program  at 
large  and  enthusiasm  in  the  particular 
project  in  hand,  Priesthood  quorums, 
Relief  Societies,  specially  organized 
groups,  and  individuals  have  in  a  total 
of  1,065  projects  during  1938  produced 
794,000  cans  of  vegetables,  230,000 
cans  of  fruit,  23,000  lbs.  dried  fruits, 
990,000  lbs.  of  root  and  leaf  vegetables, 
18,000  sacks  of  potatoes,  18,660  sacks 
of  flour,  325  sacks  of  dry  beans,  the 
equivalent  of  1,552  sacks  of  sugar  in 
sugar  beets,  2,000  gallons  of  sorghum, 
100  cases  of  canned  meat,  and  27,000 
lbs.  of  fresh  meat.  There  have  been 
produced  several  carloads  of  coal  and 
several  of  wood,  and  the  number  of 
articles  of  clothing  made  at  the  sewing 
centers  runs  into  many  thousands. 
Some  3,943  individuals  have  been  as- 
sisted to  find  employment  in  regular 
channels  of  trade,  while  another  2677 
have  been  employed  on  Church  Wel- 
fare projects. 

In  every  quarter  steps  have  been 
taken  toward  the  permanent  rehabili- 
tation of  the  lives  of  men  and  women 
through  the  establishment  of  their  eco- 
nomic independence.  Several  leading 
projects  illustrate  the  productive  nature 
of  the  program. 

Deseret  Industries 

Most  unique  is  the  recently  founded 
Deseret  Industries,  a  salvage  and  manu- 
facturing enterprise  patterned  after  the 
nationally  known  "Goodwill  Indus- 
tries." This  project  is  designed  to  help 
others  help  themselves  by  putting  to 
work  those  who  would  have  difficulty 
finding  employment  in  private  in- 
dustry. Local  response  to  the  insti- 
tution's appeal  for  merchandise  which 
could  be  re-conditioned  and  sold 
again  has  been  so  overwhelming  that 
the  two  story  warehouse  and  basement 
at  342  West  Second  South  in  Salt  Lake 
is  filled  with  furniture  and  stoves, 
clothing  and  rags,  books  and  papers, 
toys,  shoes,  antiques,  and  a  hundred 
and  one  other  items.  These  materials 
were  gathered  in  a  systematic  canvas- 
sing of  the  stakes  under  the  motto, 
"Waste  nothing,  save  everything."  To- 


Mllt 


-v> 


FULL-SIZED  BURLAP  BAGS  SUCH  AS  THIS  ARE 
AVAILABLE  FOR  EVERY  HOWIE  THAT  DESIRES 
TO  COOPERATE.  WHEN  THEY  ARE  FILLED 
WITH  DISCARDED  ARTICLES,  DESERET  IN- 
DUSTRIES   WILL   CALL   FOR   THEM. 


day  three  trim  trucks  are  kept  busy 
making  daily  pick-ups  of  voluntary 
donations.  Homes  are  supplied  with  a 
bag  and  an  attached  postal  card  which 
is  filled  out  with  proper  directions  for 
calling,  and  mailed  to  the  Industries 
when  the  bag,  as  a  depository  for  dis- 
carded but  usable  articles,  is  filled. 

At  the  Deseret  Industries  plant  itself 
a  staff  of  workers  that  has  grown  from 
five  to  forty-five  is  engaged  in  pro- 
cessing the  materials:  clothes  are  sorted 
according  to  24  classifications  and  are 
washed  or  dry-cleaned,  mended,  and 
pressed;  stoves  are  rebuilt;  furniture  re- 
finished;  mattresses  recovered;  shoes 
repaired;  tons  of  paper  and  rags  baled 
and  shipped.  Everything  is  salvaged, 
from  kindling  wood  to  antiques,  and 
finally  finds  its  way  at  a  moderate  evalu- 
ation to  one  of  the  three  stores  now 
being  operated  at  342  West  Second 
South,  432  South  State,  and  60  Richards 
Street,  all  in  Salt  Lake  City.  Clean, 
well-stocked,  and  open  for  business  to 
the  general  public,  these  stores  are  being 
visited  by  rich  and  poor  alike,  and  a 
carefully  kept  daily  progress  chart  in- 
dicates the  amount  of  merchandise  sold, 
though  less  than  the  amount  of  donated 
goods,  is  steadily  increasing.  Deseret 
Industries  is  rapidly  moving  toward  a 
self-supporting  basis. 

Deseret  Clothing  Factory 

Manufacturing  L.  D.  S.  garments  un- 
der the  "Authorized  Pattern"  label  is 
the  Security  Knitting  Mills  at  36  South 
Main  Street,  also  in  Salt  Lake  City. 
Employing  a  varied  number  of  workers, 
the  factory  has  been  operating   under 


the  Salt  Lake  Region,  the  garments 
being  distributed  in  the  main  through 
the  regional  storehouse.  But  in  the 
future  this  project  will  come  under  the 
joint  supervision  of  the  General  Com- 
mittee and  the  Salt  Lake  Regional 
Council,  to  be  known  as  the  Deseret 
Clothing  Factory. 

Central  Storehouse  Building 
Project 

Within  a  few  months  the  offices  and 
bishop's  storehouse  of  the  Salt  Lake  Re- 
gion will  be  housed  in  the  new  center 
now  under  construction  at  749  West 
7th  South  known  as  the  Central  Store- 
house Building  Project.  It  is  so-called 
because  not  only  will  it  be  the  storing, 
processing,  and  distributing  head- 
quarters for  the  stakes  of  the  Salt  Lake 
Region,  but  there  will  be  located  one 
of  the  General  Committee  storage  cen- 
ters and  from  there  shipment  of  surplus 
commodities  to  other  regions  will  be 
made.  (See  detailed  description,  paqe 
734.)  F  y 

Work  in  Other  Regions 

While  these  projects  have  created 
considerable  public  interest  and  may  be 
considered  as  representative  of  the 
scope  and  purpose  of  Welfare  work  in 
its  major  proportions,  other  regions 
have  been  promoting  worthwhile  proj- 
ects. 

In  Juab  Stake  there  has  been  the  Dog 
Valley  Farm  Project;  in  southern  Utah 
the  Virgin  River  Temple  Cottage  proj- 
ect to  build  seven  modern  cottages  near 
the  St.  George  Temple  for  aged  temple 
workers;  in  Juab,  Nebo,  and  Woodruff 
stakes,  sawmill  projects  to  supply  ma- 
terials for  homes  for  those  engaged  on 
the  project  and  also  for  Church  build- 
ings; in  Idaho,  the  proposed  Eastern 
Idaho'  Regional  Storehouse  to  be  built 
by  Welfare  labor  chiefly  from  native 
materials;  in  Salt  Lake  the  digging,  pre- 
paring, and  shipping  of  celery,  and  in 
Sharon  the  Sharon-Utah  cannery  which 
kept  from  ten  to  forty  workers  em- 
ployed most  of  the  summer. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  multiply  sta- 
tistics, however  revealing  they  may  be 
in  themselves.  A  monthly  reading  of 
the  column  "Quorum  Projects"  (see 
page  742)  will  indicate  to  just  what 
extent  the  Welfare  Plan  is  giving  a 
practical  demonstration  of  benefits  that 
result  when  mouths  are  fed  and  souls 
nourished  in  a  productive  plan  of  having 
the  worker  produce  that  which  he  uses. 

737 


WHAT    BOOKS    SHALL    !    GIVE   THE    CHILDREN    FOR    CHRISTMAS? 


FOR  THE  VERY  YOUNG: 

Little  Pancho 

(Told  and  drawn  by  Leo  Politi, 

Viking  Press,  New  York,  1938. 

$.50.) 

Little  Pancho,  like  many  little  boys 
when  told  not  to  do  a  thing,  imme- 
diately set  out  to  do  it.  He  went  into  the 
jungle  where  he  lost  his  hat  and  his  way 
and  generally  mixed  himself  in  all  kinds  of 
trouble.  The  pictures  are  unusual  since 
they  deal  with  a  Mexican  mother  and  her 
child. 

The  Black  Pup 

(Anne  Brooks,  illustrated,  Viking 

Press,  New  York,  1938.    63  pages. 

$1.50.) 

THE  book  with  its  clever  illustrations  will 
offer  many  an  hour's  entertainment, 
especially  when  the  pup,  who  especially  dis- 
liked kittens,  defended  them  against  an 
airdale. 

Gloomy  the  Camel 

(Story  and  pictures  by  Grace  Paull, 

Viking  Press,  New  York,  1938.  $1.50.) 

Although  Grace  Paull  is  well-known  for 
her  illustrations,  this  is  her  first  ap- 
pearance as  an  author.  The  conclusion  that 
Gloomy  found  happiness  only  after  he  had 
learned  usefulness  is  a  welcome  message 
to  old  and  young  today. 

Little  Toad 

(Frances  Margaret  Fox,  illustrated, 

Viking  Press,  New  York.    79  pages. 

$1.00.) 

Tracing  the  life  story  of  a  toad  from  the 
egg  to  the  tadpole,  toadlet,  and  finally 
a  full-grown  toad  is  interestingly  and  truth- 
fully told,  for  the  author  is  a  teacher  who 
had  the  material  verified  by  authorities 
This  book  can  profitably  be  read  to  any 
age  group. 

Three  Tales  From  Grimm 
(Illustrated  by  Brunhild  Schlotter, 
Macmillan  Company,  New  York, 
1938.    $1.75.) 

This  exquisite  book  including  the  three 
stories:  The  Sleeping  Beauty,  The 
Froq  Prince,  and  Mother  Hulda,  was  printed 
in  Germany.  Grimm  is  always  interesting 
for  children  and  in  this  newly  dressed  ver- 
sion with  its  truly  lovely  illustrations,  it 
will  be  more  than  a  welcome  addition  to 
the  children's  bookshelf. 

Bobbie  and  Jock  and  the  Mailman 
(Charles  J.  Finger,  illustrated,  Henry 
Holt  and  Company,  New  York. 
156  pages.     $2.00.) 

For  children  from  6  to  10,  this  book  with 
its  clever  illustrations  and  its  story  of 
a  little  girl's  vacation  on  the  farm  will  prove 
of  Interest.  Her  experience  of  getting  lost 
and  found  again  and  learning  that  "the 
longest  way  round  is  the  shortest  way 
home"  makes  interesting  reading. 

738 


By  MARBA  C  JOSEPHSON 

Buttons 

( Tom  Robinson,  illustrated  by  Beggy 

Bacon,  Viking  Press,  New  York. 

$2.00.) 

Who  wouldn't  be  interested  in  a  ragged, 
moth-eaten  kitten  who  proved  to  an 
unfriendly  world  that  he  could  make  his 
way  without  asking  for  too  many  favors? 
Buttons  is  an  adorable  cat  to  introduce  into 
any  home,  both  for  the  story,  which  by  the 
way  is  given  twice,  and  for  the  illustrations, 
which  a  child  will  be  delighted  to  linger 
over.  Naturally,  we  hate  to  turn  moralist, 
but  in  this  story  introduced  into  our  present 
world,  there  is  something  of  Aesop. 

Quito  Express 

(Ludwig  Bemelmans,  illustrated, 
Viking  Press,  New  York,  1938. 
47  pages.    $1.00.) 

Anew  way  for  even  the  youngest  to 
study  geography  is  given  in  Qufro  Ex* 
press,  a  story  about  Pedro  of  Ecuador, 
who  climbed  on  a  train  and  was  lost  for  a 
day  or  two,  but  had  a  good  time  because 
the  conductor  liked  little  boys. 

FOR  THE  MIDDLE-AGED 
YOUNGSTER: 

Child  of  the  Deep 
(John  E.  Williamson  and  Frances 
Jenkins  Olcott,  illustrated  with 
photographs,  Houghton  Mifflin 
Company,  Boston,  1938.     116 
pages.    $2.25.) 

Next  best  to  going  underseas  is  reading 
from  experienced  underseas  people  who 
took  a  little  girl  with  them  constantly 
when  they  went  on  their  expeditions.  Many 
pictures  are  reproduced,  several  in  full  color. 
The  natural  history  included  in  this  book 
will  be  welcomed  by  many  adults  who  have 
always  been  curious  themselves  about  how 
the  sea  and  its  people  look. 


V 


K 


Forest  Neighbors 
(Edith  M.  Patch  and  Caroll  L. 
Fenton,  illustrated,  Macmillan, 
New  York,  1938.  192  pages.    $1.50.) 

Any  child  will  find  in  this  book  a  wealth 
of  material  to  satisfy  his  natural  curi- 
osity concerning  nature.  The  moose,  the 
red  fox,  the  snowshoe  hare,  the  lynx,  the 
white-tailed  deer  are  among  the  animals 
treated;  the  redstart,  the  chickadee,  the 
waxwing  among  the  birds  discussed.  The 
book  will  serve  to  renew  old  acquaintances 
and  to  introduce  many  new  ones. 

Yinka-Tu  the  Yak 

( Alice  A.  Lide,  illustrated  by  Kurt 

Wiese,  Viking  Press,  1938. 

63  pages.    $2.00.) 

The  adventures  of  Tibetan  Sifan  with  his 
Yinka-Tu  on  the  broad  planes  of 
China  make  interesting  reading.  Add  to 
the  story,  the  illustrations  of  Kurt  Wiese 
and  you  have  a  book  that  any  parent  will 
be  proud  to  give  the  children  and  that  any 
child  will  adore  to  own.  The  customs  and 
some  of  the  history  of  Tibet  are  woven  into 
the  story. 

One  Winter 

( Martin  Gale,  illustrated,  Viking 
Press,  New  York,  1938.  204 
pages.  $1.75.) 

Jinnie  Bradford's  experiences  in  a  board- 
ing school  with  her  friend  Migs  and  their 
ponies  will  fascinate  young  readers.  The 
clever  line  drawings  of  Margaret  Van  Doren 
will  also  attract  favorable  attention,  while 
of  course  the  maple  syrup  story  will  satisfy 
the  sweet  tooth  of  all  young  people. 

FOR  THE  ADOLESCENT: 

Honey  of  the  Nile 
( Erick  Berry,  illustrated,  Oxford 
University  Press,  New  York,  1938. 
224  pages.    $2.00.) 

When  Egypt  "was  the  center  of  the 
world,  and  the  Nile,  a  green  ribbon 
through  the  golden  sands,  the  artery  of 
Egypt"  is  the  setting  for  this  book.  Both 
the  material  and  the  illustrations  have  been 
carefully  checked  by  Egyptologists  for  their 
accuracy.  The  story  deals  with  the  young 
king  Tutankh  Amun;  his  wife,  Ankhes;  Kem, 
a  young  priest  of  Amun  Re  and  keeper  of 
the  bees;  and  Hanofre,  faithful  handmaid 
Ankhes;  and  unfolds  many  dramatic  in- 
cidents in  the  lives  of  the  young  king  and 
queen  who  are  historical  characters. 

Penn 

(Elizabeth  Janet  Gray,  illustrated, 
Viking  Press,  New  York,  1938. 
260  pages.    $2.50.) 

Completely  engrossing  and  of  great  value 
is  this  biography  of  one  of  the  founders 
of  early  America,  written  by  one  who  has 
proved  her  worth  in  other  notable  biog- 
raphies. From  Penn's  parentage  and  early 
life,  we  get  an  insight  into  English  history 
which  is  so  prominent  in  shaping  the  destiny 
of  America.  The  story  is  that  of  a  coura- 
geous fighter  who  dared  stand  by  his  beliefs 
in  spite  of  many  imprisonments  and  great 
family  pressure. 


THE     IMPROVEMENT     ERA,     DECEMBER,     1938 


Seventeen  Chimneys 

(Theodore  A.  Harper,  Viking  Press, 

New  York,  1938.    270  pages.    $2.00.) 

Robert  Cornish  after  his  father's  failure 
was  left  to  make  his  way  the  best  he 
could.  For  one  year  he  worked  in  the  lonely 
bush  country  of  New  Zealand  where  he 
learned  the  valuable  lesson  of  patience. 
"Seventeen  Chimneys"  was  the  symbol  of 
his  lost  heritage.  There  are  some  mys- 
teries which  will  intensify  the  interest  for 
adolescent  boys  and  girls. 

The  Little  American  Girl 
(Marjorie  H.  Alee,  illustrated, 
Houghton  Mifflin,  Boston,  1938. 
237  pages.    $2.00.) 

The  three-fold  duty  of  Sarah  Ann  Reid, 
who  was  unexpectedly  given  the  op- 
portunity of  going  to  Paris  as  "house- 
daughter"  at  the  Quaker  International 
Center,  was  to  learn  French  as  a  living 
language,  to  get  acquainted  with  all  kinds 
of  people,  and  to  grow  up.  Her  experiences 
on  shipboard  and  after  she  arrived  in  Paris 
make  every  page  seem  too  short. 

Blocking  Back 

(B.  J.  Chute,  Macmillan  Company, 

New  York,  1938.  266  pages.  $1.75.) 

What  boy  wouldn't  get  a  thrill  from 
attending  a  boys'  school  and  being 
intimately  associated  with  football?  Well, 
Jerry  Le  Van  didn't — at  first,  because  he 
had  been  sent  much  against  his  will  to 
Washburn  instead  of  Harmeer  which  he 
had  desired  to  attend.  But  when  he  had 
his  lesson  forced  down  his  throat,  his  eyes 
opened  to  many  new  things  and  he  found 
that  teamwork  is  the  basis  of  both  life  and 
football. 

Fire  in  the  Ice 

(A.  D.  Divine,  Houghton  Mifflin 
Company,  Boston,  1938.    254  pages. 
$2.00.) 

Ever  since  Melville  told  the  story  of  Moby 
Dick,  much  interest  has  centered  in 
whales  and  the  whaling  industry.  When 
Alan  Pierce  sailed  on  a  modern  whaling  ex- 
pedition with  Aslaksen,  an  experienced 
sailing  man,  he  made  a  friend  and  learned 
many  things  that  a  year  on  land  would  not 
have  taught  him.  A  full-blooded  adventure 
story,  Fire  in  the  Ice  will  help  while  away 
a  few  winter  evenings. 

Josie  and  Joe 

(Ruth  G.  Plowhead,  illustrated, 
Caxton  Printers,  Ltd.,  Caldwell, 
Idaho,  1938.    262  pages.    $2.50.) 

IDENTICAL  twins  in  everything  except  that 
one  was  a  girl  and  the  other  a  boy,  Josie 
and  Joe  Dawne  had  many  a  gay  time  to- 
gether, for  Josie  could  do  things  that  a  boy 
did  as  well  or  even  better  than  Joe.  She 
was  as  eager  a  student  of  the  Cub  manual 
as  Joe.  But  much  as  Joe  liked  his  sister, 
he  still  felt  that  there  were  some  things  that 
girls  should  not  do.  This  left  Josie  quite 
disconsolate  until  she  learned  that  there  are 
things  that  girls  can  do  which  are  as  in- 
teresting and  difficult  to  do  as  those  boys 
choose.  Her  experiences  in  the  Top  Notch 
Club  which  taught  her  how  to  sew  and 
can  fruit  and  the  other  exploits  of  this 
hoydenish  girl  will  make  good  reading  dur- 
ing the  Christmas  holidays. 

{Concluded  on  page  740) 


Don't  Serve 
SKIMPY  Breakfasts ! 


[:■_ 


ile£X^fe 


V\0  you  start  your  husband 
*—'  off  to  work  and  your 
children  off  to  school  with  a 
real  energy  breakfast  —  a 
breakfast  that  will  provide 
lots  of  nourishment—  lots  of 
pep  and  energy?  In  other 
words— a  Globe  PANCAKE 
breakfast?  Working  people 
and  school  children  often 
skimp  on  lunches  —  don't 
skimp  their  breakfasts  too! 
Serve  your  family  satisfying 
pancakes  for  breakfast.  Make  them  the  quick,  easy, THRIFTY 
way — with  Globe  "Al"  Pancake  and  Waffle  Flour.  This 
special  pancake  flour  contains  lots  of  buttermilk  for  extra 
richness  and  flavor.  How  good  these  "Al"  pancakes  taste  on 
cold  mornings,  with  syrup  or  honey  trickling  down  the  sides. 
Globe  "Al"  Pancake  and  Waffle  Flour  is  the  choice  of  thou- 
sands of  smart  women  because  it's  so  quick  and  easy  to  use 
and  it  is  always  the  same!  You  can  make  three  "Al"  pan- 
cakes  [or  a  penny!  Buy  Globe  "Al"  tomorrow — serve  nour- 
ishing pancake  breakfasts.  See  what  a  hit  they  make  with 
your  family! 


\\ 


// 


GLOBE  "A1 

PANCAKE  &  WAFFLE  FLOUR 


739 


THE    IMPROVEMENT    ERA,     DECEMBER,    1938 


Barefoot  and  the  Friendly  Road 
(Jack  Tinker,  illustrated  by  the 
author,  Viking  Press,  New  York. 
$1.00.) 

The  poetry  of  this  little  book  will  serve 
to  make  young  and  old  alike  revel  in 
it,  for  the  friendly  road  is  a  symbol  of  the 
wandering  that  all  of  us  have  the  urge  to  do. 

Gray  Wolf 

(Rutherford  Montgomery,  Houghton 

Mifflin,  Boston,  1938.     186  pages. 

$2.25.) 

Dramatically  told  from  the  wolf's  point 
of  view,  this  book  will  serve  to  give 
information  concerning  the  habits  and  life 
of  the  gray  wolves  who  brought  so  much 
worry  to  the  cattlemen  in  the  early  days  of 
the  west.  The  story  deals  particularly  with 
Speed,  the  wisest  of  these  gray  wolves,  who 
long  escaped  man  but  finally  met  his  match 
in  Treon,  an  Indian  hunter. 

Shadow  Plays  and  How  to 

Produce  Them 

(Winifred  H.  Mills  and  Louise 

M.  Dunn,  Doubleday  Doran  and 

Company,  New  York.     188  pages. 

$2.00.) 

Although  children  in  the  home  usually 
want  to  have  shadow  plays,  this  re- 
viewer's guess  is  that  the  older  members 
of  the  family  will  find  much  of  enjoyment 
and  growth  if  they  too  will  read  this  book. 
The  actual  dramatizations  of  several  plays 
is  given  and  the  illustrations  to  go  with 
them.  Part  Two  is  shadow  plays  with 
music — and  good  music  also,  while  Part 
Three  deals  with  human  shadow  plays. 

The  book  is  a  really  careful  study  of  this 
form  of  entertainment  and  should  offer  a 
solution  to  the  eternal  question  both  of 
adults  and  children,  "What  shall  we  do?" 

Jungle  River 

( Howard  Pease,  illustrated,  Double- 
day  Doran  and  Company,  New 
York,  1938.    295  pages.    $2.00.) 

This  book  for  high  school  age  boys  and 
girls  will  answer  their  constant  search 
for  the  unusual  and  the  exciting. 

In  this,  his  latest  book,  he  deals  with 
the  adventures  of  Don  Carter  in  New 
Guinea  when  he  set  out  to  find  his  father, 
reported  lost,  believed  dead,  following  an 
airplane  crash. 

The  Scarlet  Oak 
(Cornelia  Meigs,  illustrated,  Mac- 
millan  Company,  New  York,  1938. 
198  pages.    $2.00.) 

This  book  for  children  of  ten  to  fourteen 
by  a  recognized  author  deals  with 
America  in  1817  when  Joseph  Bonaparte 
found  refuge  here  after  fleeing  from  Italy. 
The  mystery  that  is  woven  about  his  living 
in  this  country  will  make  delightful  reading. 

The  Book  of  Original  Plays 
and  How  to  Give  Them 
( Horace  J.  Gardner  and  Bonneviere 
Arnaud,  J.  B.  Lippicott  Company, 
Philadelphia,  1938.   414  pages.  $2.50.) 

This  book  contains  ten  plays  and  a 
pageant  which  have  been  planned  and 
written  for  groups  of  all  ages  to  use  in 
school  or  church  organizations.  Equally 
important,  however,  is  the  information 
given  on  the  preparation  for  the  presenta- 

740 


tion  of  a  drama.  The  first  chapter,  called 
"Off-stage  Activities,"  deals  with  the  or- 
ganization for  the  successful  staging  a  play. 
The  second  chapter,  "On-stage  Activities," 
gives  instructions  to  the  director;  "Back- 
stage Activities"  instructs  those  who  handle 
che  show.  It  also  includes  some  helpful  in- 
formation on  make-up.  Part  V  is  on  the 
Pageant. 

Rifles  for  Washington 

( Elsie  Singmaster,  illustrated,  Houghton 

Mifflin,  Boston,  1938.    321  pages. 

$2.25.) 

The  story  of  a  young  man  who  refused 
to  be  left  out  of  the  War  of  Independ- 
ence, told  from  the  common  soldier's  point 
of  view,  is  unusual.  Miss  Singmaster  has 
done  a  masterful  job  in  putting  on  to  paper 
the  intimate  details  which  make  this  book 
valuable  historically. 

The  Far-Distant  Oxus 
(Katherine  Hull  and  Pamela  Whitlock, 
Macmillan  Company,  New  York, 
1938.    320  pages.    $2.00.) 

This  book  "by  children,  about  children, 
and  for  children"  (actual  quotation 
from  the  authors'  letter)  will  make  any  adult 
understand  that  this  is  no  ordinary  child's 
book  to  be  relegated  to  children  alone.  The 
girls,  15  and  16,  who  began  the  book  a 
year  ago,  reveal  many  things  that  leaders 
of  girls  would  do  well  to  discover.  In  the 
first  place,  they  are  not  sentimental  about 
nature:  they  accept  it  and  love  it;  in  the 
second  place,  they  like  action  and  adventure 
and  introduce  plenty  of  both;  in  the  third 
place,  they  have  a  fine  disregard  for  money: 
and  they  have  a  good  time  with  a  very  little 
of  it. 

The  story  deals  with  the  activities  of 
three  children  who  go  for  a  vacation  to  the 
West  Country  moors  of  England  and  there 
learn  many  things. 

Knowing  Yourself  and  Others 
(Donald  McLean,  Henry  Holt  and 
Co.,  New  York,  1938.    267  pages.) 

This  text  dealing  with  mental  hygiene, 
which  young  people  between  ten  and 
eighteen  will  enjoy  reading,  will  be  wel- 
comed by  many  parents  and  teachers.  The 
author  has  had  wide  experience  as  clinical 
psychologist  consultant  of  the  Institute  of 
Family  Relations  in  Los  Angeles.  He  bases 
his  work  on  the  three  drives  analyzed  by 
William  I.  Thomas  in  his  book,  The  lln~ 
adjusted  Girl;  the  three  drives  being:  the 
security,  the  response,  and  the  recognition 
drives.  Each  person  wants  to  make  his 
life  certain,  hence,  the  security  drive;  each 
wants  to  be  loved,  therefore  the  response 
drive;  moreover,  one  wants  to  be  important 
to  other  beings  and  have  their  respect, 
hence,  the  recognition  drive. 

The  Golden  Book  of  the 
Dutch  Navigators 
(Hendrick  Willem  Van  Loon,  D. 
Appleton-Century  Co.,  New  York. 
333  pages.     $2.50.) 

Van  Loon  (pronounced  like  lone)  has 
brought  much  to  the  young,  yes,  and 
the  old,  people  of  America,  through  his  in- 
tensely vitalized  books.  In  this  book,  a 
revised  reprint  from  1916,  he  does  much 
to  impart  to  history  the  breath  of  ro- 
mance. He  has  made  historical  figures  walk 
into  the  lives  of  present-day  young  boys 
and  girls.  With  a  gusto  born  from  his  love 
of  freedom  which  is  inherent  from  his  Dutch 
ancestry,  he  arouses  a  similar  love  for  good 
government  based  on  freedom  of  choice. 


<H&/ulSl  3iow— 

For  the  holidays  what  could  be 
nicer  than  a  Spicy  Spice  Cake — 
unless  it's  two  of  them.  Globe  Mills 
tells  us  how  it  is  done,  and  it's  so 
easy,  and  the  results  are  so  ef- 
fective that  I'm  sure  we  shall  all  be 
spicing   up  the    Christmas   season. 

Here  it  is: 

2%  c.  Globe  "Al"  Cake  Flour 

1  t.  soda 
lk  t.  salt 

2  t.  cinnamon 

V2  t.  each  of  cloves,  nutmeg,  all- 
spice. 

V2  c.  butter  or  substitute 

IV2  c.  sugar 

2  eggs 

1  c.  buttermilk 

1  t.  vanilla 

Sift  flour  once,  measure,  add 
soda,  salt,  and  spices,  and  sift  three 
times.  Cream  butter,  add  1  c.  of 
sugar  gradually  and  cream  thor- 
oughly. Beat  eggs  slightly  and 
add  the  rest  of  the  sugar  to  them; 
mix  well.  Add  to  butter  and  sugar 
mixture.  Add  small  amount  of 
flour  mixture,  mix  well,  then  add 
a  little  milk.  Continue  in  this  man- 
ner until  flour  and  milk  are  used, 
beating  batter  hard  after  each  ad- 
dition. Add  vanilla.  Bake  in  a 
loaf  pan  in  a  moderate  oven  (350 
degrees)  50  to  60  minutes.  Pour 
Chocolate  Icing  over  the  top  and 
decorate  with  halves  of  walnuts. 


WANT 

Perfect  Posture? 

The  TEE  GEE  GARTER  WAIST 
for  GIRLS  and  BOYS 

Aids  perfect  posture, 
comfortable  in  all 
positions,  side- fas- 
tening back   garters, 
elastic  in  shoulders. 
Sizes  2  to  12,  pre-/ 
paid  in  U.  S.  and/fp^ 
Canada  ... 

Only 

$1 

ALSO 

Doctors  recom- 
mend the  TEE 
GEE  MATER- 
NITY GARTER  WAIST.  Ad- 
justable to  any  size,  com- 
fortable, cool,  balanced, 
side-fastening  back  garters, 
elastic  in  shoulders. 
Prepaid  in  U.  S.  and  Canada 
.  .  .  only  $2.00.  TEE  GEE 
garments  are  the  only  garter 
waists  actually  giving  bal- 
anced  posture-perfecting 
stocking  support  from  the 
shoulders.  Specify  TEE  GEE 
at  your  dealer's,  or  send 
check  or  money-order  to 

TEE  GEE  GARMENT  CO, 

Room  A— 5029  17th  N.E.— Seattle,  Wash. 

IT.  S.  Patent  No.  2,078,972 


"LIFE  OF  JOSEPH  F.  SMITH" 

Sixth  President  o£  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 

Compiled  by  Joseph  Fielding  Smith 

While  we  have  not  yet  had  an 
opportunity  to  review  this  book, 
we  wish  to  invite  attention  to  it  here, 
because  it  is  hoped  that  it  will  be  off 
the  press  for  the  Christmas  trade,  and 
many  undoubtedly  will  wish  to  give 
it  consideration  in  their  selection  of 
Christmas  gifts.  This  is  the  life  story 
of  the  remarkable  man  who  was  left 
fatherless  at  the  age  of  six,  in  scenes 
of  tribulation  and  dark  persecution, 
by  the  martyrdom  of  his  father,  Hy- 
rum  Smith,  and  who  later  became  the 
sixth  President  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  The 
book  is  compiled  and  edited  by  his 
son,  Joseph  Fielding  Smith,  of  the 
Council  of  the  Twelve,  who  writes 
in  his  introduction: 

"This  volume  is  prepared  primarily 
for  the  benefit  of  the  descendants  of 
President  Joseph  F.  Smith,  and  then, 
for  the  benefit  of  all  those  who  are 
interested  in  his  life's  labors  and  who 
have  joined  with  him  in  assisting  to 
bring  to  pass  and  to  establish  in  the 
earth,  the  'cause  of  Zion'." 

More  will  be  said  of  this  volume 
later— R.  L.  E. 


Utah  Pioneering,  An 

Autobiography 

(Andrew  M.  Israelsen,  Deseret 

News  Press,  Salt  Lake  City,  1938. 

328  pages.     $3.50.) 

This  is  the  self-told  story  of  a  man  who 
was  born  in  Norway,  350  miles  north 
of  the  Arctic  Circle,  and  who  came  to  Utah 
with  his  parents,  at  the  age  of  seven,  for 
the  Gospel.  The  account,  arranged  for 
publication  by  the  author's  son,  Dr.  O.  W. 
Israelsen  of  the  Utah  State  Agricultural 
College,  was  written  after  the  author  was 
seventy  years  of  age.  The  book,  like  its 
author,  has  stirring  color  and  rugged  in- 
dividuality. It  shows  with  unforgettable 
force  the  type  of  men  and  women  who 
came  out  of  northern  Europe  in  response 
to  the  missionary  activities  of  the  Church, 
the  type  of  men  and  women  who  have 
pioneered  the  West,  who  have  earned  their 
own  way  and  helped  others,  who  have 
been  the  backbone  of  the  Church  and  the 
stalwarts  of  the  nation.  Utah  Pioneering 
is  not  the  history  of  anything  in  particular, 
but  it  breathes  the  spirit  of  those  material 
and  spiritual  fundamentals  without  which 
we  are  a  lost  people.  To  quote  the  book's 
editor:  "The  author  is  a  man  of  faith  and 
also  a  man  of  action.  His  is  the  faith  that 
enables  men  to  live  abundantly  in  spite  of 
the  most  adverse  circumstances — the  faith 
which  would  enrich  the  lives  of  millions 
today  by  banishing  fear  and  sustaining 
courage." — R.  L.  E. 

With  Tongue  in  Cheek 

(Kathryn  Kay,  Circle  Publishing  Co., 

Hollywood,  1938.    85  pages.    $2.00.) 

To    many  of  her   friends   in   the  West, 
Kathryn  Kay,  formerly  of  Salt  Lake 


City  and  now  of  Los  Angeles,  may  better 
be  known  as  Kathryn  Worsley.  Her  book, 
With  Tongue  in  Cheek,  is  a  collection  of 
original  verse,  humorously  illustrated,  at- 
tractively presented,  and  easily  read.  The 
mood  varies  from  light-hearted  common 
sense,  to  barbed  flippancy,  to  poignant  senti- 
ment, to  biting  satire.  One  gets  the  im- 
pression that  the  author  has  stepped  aside 
to  look  at  life  with  amused  and  half-closed 
eyes,  thereby  to  write  of  things  and  people 
in  general  with  part  jest  and  part  dead- 
seriousness.  Entertainment,  with  a  dash 
or  two  of  sterner  stuff,  is  how  we  see  it. 

— R.  L.  E. 

.  .  .  and  Tell  of  Time 
(Laura  Krey,  Houghton  Mifflin 
Company,  Boston.     712  pages. 

$2.75.) 

HPitled  from  The  Bacchae  by  Euri- 
pides,  this  book  uses  time  as  its 
protagonist,  thereby  creating  an  ex- 
tremely readable  and  wholesome  novel, 
centered  in  Texas  of  the  Reconstruc- 
tion period. 

The  ideals  implanted  into  the  lives 
of  the  Darcy  family:  ideals  of  helpful- 
ness, industry,  and  integrity,  are  made 
attractive  and  worthy  of  emulation. 
The  story  is  based  on  a  well-seasoned, 
rounded  conception  of  life. 

The  story,  although  as  in  life  it  must 
consider  parents  and  grandparents, 
deals  with  the  romance  of  Cavin  and 
Lucina  Darcy  in  meeting  the  changed 
situation  which  the  Civil  War  had 
caused  in  the  attitude  towards  the 
negroes,  the  carpet-baggers,  and  in  the 
rewinning  of  the  land  to  cultivation. 
In  the  lives  of  this  couple  and  their 
children,   their   nieces,    nephews,    and 


MOST  of  our  readers  will  be  de- 
lighted to  know  that  the  best 
of  what  Harrison  R.  Merrill  has 
written  will  be  included  in  a  special 
volume  to  be  available  on  or  before 
December  15.  This  volume  takes  its 
title,  Leave  My  Spirit  Here,  from 
Prof.  Merrill's  well-known  poem, 
"Let  This  Be  Heaven." 

The  books  will  be  available  at 
$1.00  a  copy  plus  postage.  See 
coupon,  page  764. 


their  friends,  is  depicted  the  strong 
sense  of  heritage  and  parentage  that 
is  conducive  of  consistent  and  stable 
growth. — M.  C.  J. 

Yukon  Voyage 

Unofficial  Log  of  the  Steamer  Yukoner 
(Walter  R.  Curtin;  Caxton  Printers, 
Ltd.,  Caldwell,  Idaho,  1938. 
299  pages.    $3.50.) 

"Decreating  the  romantic  Alaska  of 
**■  the  bonanza  days  of  1897,  the  au- 
thor from  the  pages  of  his  log  has  spun 
a  good  yarn  which  makes  the  blood 
course  faster  through  the  reader's 
veins.  The  book  offers  a  new  note  in 
that  we  see  a  different  picture  of  some 
of  those  who  sought  adventure  and 
wealth  in  the  far  north.  The  author 
and  two  women  met  together  each 
night  to  read  aloud  from  good  books, 
and  they  began  with  Paradise  Lost! 

The  pictures,  authentic  ones  of  the 
period,  revivify  the  history  of  the  times 
and  intensify  the  interest  of  the  narra- 
tive.—M.  C.  /. 


Save  Time  and  Money" 

by  concentrating  your  Christmas  shopping  efforts  here.  You 
will  be  delighted  by  the  variety  of  gifts  we  have  on  display. 

Radios,  Moving  Picture  Equipment,  Copper,  Brass, 
Pottery  and  Glass  Ware,  Leather  Goods,   Clocks, 
Book  Ends,  Fountain  Pens,  Stationery,  Games,  Per- 
sonalized Greeting  Cards  for  every  occasion. 
— and  BOOKS  of  every  description. 

Books  for  Children,  Books  for  Youth,  Books  for  All  Ages — Fic- 
tion, Classics,  Biography,  Standard  Works,  Reference  Books, 
L.  D.  S.  Church  Literature,  Bibles,  Books  for  Everyone! 

Order  your  Christmas  Greeting  Cards  NOW 

DESERET   BOOK    COMPANY 

44  East  South  Temple — Salt  Lake  City,  Utah 


741 


CONDUCTED  BY  THE  MELCHIZEDEK  PRIESTHOOD  COMMITTEE  OF  THE  COUNCIL  OF  THE  TWELVE — 
JOSEPH  FIELDING  SMITH,  CHAIRMAN;  MELVIN  J.  BALLARD,  JOHN  A.  WIDTSOE,  AND  JOSEPH  F.  MERRILL 


PRIESTHOOD   AND    CHURCH   WELFARE 


A  gain  we  invite  attention  to  the  new 
■*"*■  1939  course  of  study  for  all  Mel- 
chizedek  Priesthood  groups.  This 
course,  to  be  considered  throughout 
the  Church,  is  designed  to  promote  the 
spiritual  and  material  welfare  of  the 
Church  as  a  whole.  It  is  timely;  it  is 
vital;  it  is  informative  and  stimulating. 
Much  good  will  result  from  its  con- 


sideration by  the  Priesthood  quorums 
of  the  Church. 

Again  this  year  it  is  urgently  desired 
that  a  copy  of  the  course  of  study  be 
in  the  hands  of  every  member  of  the 
Melchizedek  Priesthood.  Copies  may 
be  ordered  individually  or  in  quantities 
through  the  Deseret  Book  Company, 
Salt  Lake  City. 


ANTI-LIQUOR-TOBACCO 
COLUMN 


QUORUM    PROJECTS 


REMINDERS 

T  etters  and  reports  from  the  field  in- 
J-'  dicate  various  stages  of  progress  of 
the  Anti-liquor-tobacco  campaign. 
Probably  every  stake  will  have  its  com- 
mittees fully  organized  and  actively  at 
work  before  this  number  of  the  Era 
reaches  the  field.  But  due  to  the 
changes  in  chairmanship  and  member- 
ship of  some  of  the  committees  it  may 
be  well  to  remind  all  committee  mem- 
bers again  that  information  and  sug- 
gestions relative  to'  the  campaign  have 
been  given  in  this  column  from  month 
to  month  during  several  months  past. 
We  advise  all  new  members  (and  old 
ones  are  not  forbidden  to  review  them) 
to  read  these,  beginning  with  the  Feb- 
ruary, 1938,  issue  of  the  Era. 

System  Needed 

In  order  to  reach  the  objectives  of 
the  campaign,  systematic  work  will  be 
needed.  All  who  hold  the  Priesthood 
— Melchizedek  and  Aaronic — may  read 
the  campaign  literature  with  profit  and 
are  expected  to  do  so.  The  same  may 
be  said  of  all  other  members  of  the 
Church  old  enough  to  read  with  under- 
standing. Hence  at  least  one  copy  of 
Alcohol  Talks  to  Youth,  Nicotine  on 
the  Air,  and  The  Word  of  Wisdom 
in  Practical  Terms  should  be  in  every 
home.  That  this  may  be  the  case  many 
more  copies  of  each  booklet  will  yet 
have  to  be  sent  out.  Hence  the  com- 
mittees should  distribute  this  literature 
systematically — keep  a  record  of  those 
receiving  it,  of  those  who  have  read 
it,  and  their  reaction  to  it.  This  will 
require  much  careful  work  by  the 
committees,  for  it  means  one  or  more 
personal  contacts  with  every  one  ex- 
pected to  read  the  literature.  Hence, 
every  one  working  in  the  campaign 
should  operate  according  to  a  plan  and 
keep  a  record  of  what  he  does.  This 
will  be  necessary  in  order  to  know  when 
all  have  been  reached  and  that  accuracy 
may  characterize  the  required  reports 
to  the  stake  and  general   committees. 

Will    all    committee   chairmen    give 
prompt    attention    to    these    matters? 
(See  also  "Wine  Is  A  Mocker,"  page  732.) 
742 


WHAT  THE  PRIESTHOOD  IS 
DOING  THROUGHOUT  THE 
CHURCH 

Ogden  Stake 

201  st  Quorum  of  Seventy 

'"Phe  death  in  November,  1936,  of 
A  Frank  A.  Purrington  of  the  13th 
Ward  left  his  family  with  a  small  sum 
of  money  and  the  serious  issue  of  how 
to  establish  their  economic  independ- 
ence. The  immediate  problem  was 
how  to  invest  the  small  inheritance  to 
give  greatest  future  security.  It  would 
not  last  long  if  simply  spent  for  living 
expenses. 

Collaboration  of  the  fatherless  fam- 
ily with  the  Priesthood  quorum  of  which 
Bro.  Purrington  had  been  a  member 
resulted  in  a  plan  to  convert  the  Pur- 
rington homestead  into  three  apart- 
ments, with  the  quorum,  under  the  di- 
rection of  the  Bishopric  and  the  im- 
mediate supervision  of  Senior  President 
Norman  D.  Moffett,  an  experienced 
builder,  voluntarily  assuming  the  labor 
of  the  remodeling. 

A  pooling  of  talents  ranging  from 
legal  services  in  administering  the  prop- 
erty to  skilled  and  unskilled  labor  in 
the  actual  building,  found  the  project 
under  way  one  month  after  Bro.  Pur- 
rington's  decease.  The  basement  was 
excavated  to  provide  room  for  a  heat- 
ing plant  and  fruit  cellar,  and  within 
eight  weeks  a  four-room  apartment 
was  created  out  of  the  rear  screen 
porch,  kitchen,  and  bedroom,  providing 
quarters  for  the  Purrington  family.  In 
due  time  two  other  apartments  were 
completed,  and  to  date  have  been  con- 
tinuously rented  out,  one  for  $35.00  and 
the  other  for  $32.50  monthly.  The  pro- 
ject when  completed  represented  a  total 
of  1922  hours  of  donated  labor  and 
$42.75  in  cash  contributions.  With 
other  quorums  and  outside  groups  aid- 
ing the  project,  an  estimated  construc- 
tion cost  of  $2,846.19  was  reduced  to 
an  actual  expenditure  of  $1,874.80. 

Services  such  as  obtaining  material 
at  cost,  hauling  gravel,  borrowing  a 
cement-mixer,  laying  linoleum,  painting, 


brick-laying,  and  the  planning  and 
supervision  of  the  work  indicate  the 
variety  of  ways  in  which  the  quorum 
by  willing  and  intelligent  cooperation 
completed  a  project  that  is  a  first 
quality  job  in  every  way  and  that 
established  the  permanent  economic  in- 
dependence of  a  widow  and  her  family. 

San  Juan  Stake 

Gives  Account  of  Activities. 

Blanding  Ward  High  Priests — The 
quorum  harvested  190  bushels  of  wheat 
on  twelve  acres,  and  about  130  lbs.  per 
acre  from  fourteen  acres  of  beans. 
They  have  planted  fourteen  acres  of 
fall  wheat  and  are  working  with  the 
Elders  on  four  barrels  of  cider  for 
vinegar  from  drop  apples. 

125r7*  Quorum  of  Seventy — We 
have  stored  600  bushels  of  barley  and 
have  paid  all  the  expenses  incidental 
to  raising  and  harvesting  the  crop. 

265th  Quorum  of  Seventy — This 
quorum  of  only  seventeen  members  has 
four  acres  of  potatoes  that  are  doing 
well. 

1st  Quorum  of  Elders — We  harvest- 
ed 4,000  lbs.  of  beans  from  our  crop. 
Out  of  this  amount  we  gave  1,000  lbs. 
for  the  rental  of  the  farm.  We  also 
have  twenty  acres  of  fall  wheat  that 
is  up  in  good  condition,  and  eighteen 
acres  for  summer  planting.  In  addi- 
tion to  this  we  have  furnished  labor 
on  the  Church  project  and  are  working 
with  the  High  Priests  of  Blanding 
Ward  on  the  vinegar  project. 

2nd  Quorum  of  Elders — All  the 
Priesthood  groups  of  the  Monticello 
ward  worked  together  on  projects :  We 
have  two  acres  of  potatoes  that  have 
not  been  harvested  yet;  two  brethren 
turned  in  45  bushels  of  wheat  each;  two 
brethren  are  raising  one  pig  each;  one 
brother  is  supervising  the  raising  of 
some  turkeys  and  one  brother  con- 
tributed cash  for  his  share  of  the  pro- 
ject. 

Moab — The  Elders  held  a  dance  to 
raise  funds  to  complete  a  home  building 
project.  They  took  in  $73  and  the  ex- 
penses amounted  to  less  than  $25,  leav- 
ing a  profit  of  over  $50  for  the  fund. 

Bear  River  Stake  Mission 

From  a  report  by  President  Warren 
E.  Hansen  the  following  items  of 
historical  and  faith-promoting  interest 
are  noted: 

"Each  one  of  our  active  mission- 
aries has  been  doing  some  special  and 
effective  work  during  the  summer.  Most 
outstanding  was  the  work  done  by  all 
missionaries  of  District  No.  2  in  estab- 
lishing the  Branch  at  Promontory. 
Other  accomplishments  are  as  follows: 
Six  members  have  quit  bad  habits  and 
have  been  ordained  Elders,  with  two 
more   working   for  that   now.     There 


THE     IMPROVEMENT    ERA,    DECEMBER,    1938 


have  been  five  temple  marriages  and 
fifty  people  have  been  brought  into  ac- 
tivity who  were  doing  nothing  in  the 
Church.  Another  missionary  and  his 
wife  turned  their  bridge  club  into  a 
temple  club.  The  women  made  temple 
clothes  for  all  and  they  have  gone  to 
the  temple  at  least  once  a  month,  hav- 
ing a  supper  after. 

"One  missionary  headed  a  committee 
to  get  inactive  tolks  to  Sunday  School. 
They  report  having  people  out  that 
had  not  been  inside  a  church  in  twenty 
years. 

"Another  stake  missionary  had  his 
teeth  extracted  and  did  not  like  to  meet 
people.  So  he  started  a  correspondence 
with  distant  relatives.  He  reports  that 
two  of  them  have  read  several  tracts 
and  are  now  nearly  through  with  the 
Book  of  Mormon." 

Woodruff  Stake 

Ath.  Quorum  of  Elders. 

The  officers  have  during  the  past 
summer  and  spring  sponsored  the  dig- 
ging of  five  graves  in  the  Evanston 
Second  Ward,  three  of  which  were  for 
the  members  of  the  quorum  or  their 
families,  and  two  of  which  were  for 
those  who  held  no  Priesthood.  The 
quorum  does  not  solicit  this  work,  ex- 
cept in  cases  where  they  know  that 
the  members  are  not  in  a  position  to  pay 
for  this  service  by  the  sexton. 

The  quorum  also  repaired  the  house 
of  the  widow  of  one  of  its  deceased 
members  and  the  results  of  this  project 
are  helping  members  to  see  what  the 
Church  is  trying  to  do  in  getting  quo- 
rum members  to  help  one  another. 

4th  Quorum  of  Elders,  Emmett 
Ward,  Boise  Stake: 

This  quorum  has  been  very  successful 
with  the  canning  project  they  undertook. 
They  have  several  hundred  cans  of  cherries 
and  several  hundred  cans  of  apricots.  In 
place  of  an  agricultural  project  each  member 
of  the  quorum  has  been  assessed  $2.00. 


MONTHLY  REPORT  OF  THE  L.  D.  S.  STAKE  MISSIONS 

Made  by  The  First  Council  of  the  Seventy  to  The  Council  of  the    Twelve  Apostles 
For  the  Month  of  September,  1938 


Thy  Neighbor  As  Thyself 

(Concluded  from  page  718) 

products  would  not  go  into  compe- 
tition with  our  commercial  factories 
but  would  be  used  as  a  means  of 
enriching  the  lives  of  the  less  fortu- 
nate. 

HThe  Presidency  of  the  187th  Quo- 
X  rum— H.  Dean  Hall,  Willard  L. 
Wood,  Warren  E.  Hansen,  Glenn 
M.  Severson,  Chester  Boss,  Mervin 
L.  Nielson,  and  Glen  W.  Busen- 
bark — suggest  emphatically  that  no 
one  should  be  eligible  for  any  help 
if  he  does  nothing  to  help  himself 
and  the  group.  They  know  from 
their  past  experience  that,  through 
the    individual    projects    which 


Missionary  Activities  Sept. 

1938 

1.  Evenings  or  part  days  spent  in  missionary  work „ _ 6,573 

2.  Hours  spent  in   missionary  work   — _ 14,594 

3.  Number  of  calls  made  _ 11,382 

4.  Number   of   first   invitations   in  _ 4,277 

5.  Number   of  revisits  4,791 

6.  Number  of  Gospel  conversations  - _ 11,482 

7.  Number  of    standard    Church   works   distributed    (Does   not    include   Books   of    Mormon 
reported   under  Item   No.    10) _ - _ _ _ 260 

8.  Number  of  other   books  distributed  728 

9.  Number   of   tracts  and   pamphlets  distributed    - _ „ _ 15,548 

10.  Copies  of  Book  of  Mormon   actually  sold  131 

11.  Number  of  hall  meetings  held  by   missionaries  _ „ 247 

12.  Number  of   cottage   meetings  held   by  missionaries  _ 448 

13.  Number  of  missionaries  who  attended  cottage  and  hall   meetings _ 1,617 

14.  Number  of  investigators  present  at   cottage  and   hall   meetings 2,259 

15.  Number  of  baptisms  as  a  result  of   missionary  work „ 145 

(1)  Of  people  over  15  years  of  age _ 63 

(2)  Of  people  under  15  years  of  age: 

a.  Both  of  whose  parents  are  members .. 36 

b.  Others   under   15  years   of   age   33 

Classification   not   designated   .. 1 3 

16.  Number  of  inactive  members  of  Church  brought  into  activity  through  stake  missionary 
service  during   the   month  _ _ 229 

Additional  Information 

Number   of   stakes  in  Church   _ _ 124 

Number   of    stake   missions  organized   _ „„ 119 

Missionaries  Actively  Engaged 

Number  of   stakes  reporting   , 97 

Number  of  districts  „ _ 362 

Elders _.. _ _ _ 238 

Seventies  _ „ _ „ 1,274 

High  Priests  _ - _ _ _ 236 

Women    _ _ _ _ _ 344 


Sept. 
1937 
4,498 

10,127 
8,849 
3,386 
2,556 
8,788 

275 

356 

12,484 

96 

186 

418 

1,820 

1,750 

110 


Total 


2,092 


247 


118 
113 


90 
299 
229 
923 
226 
239 

1.617 


each  member  has  undertaken  and 
faithfully  matured,  their  eyes  are 
more  open  to  greater  opportunities 
around  them  and  that  they  are  far 
better  able  to  take  care  of  them- 
selves because  they  have  proved 
that  one  cannot  bless  a  brother 
without  receiving  an  even  greater 
blessing  for  himself.  With  this 
plan  adopted,  the  responsibility  is 
placed  squarely  upon  the  shoulders 
of  the  individual.  It  gives  each  one 
a  chance  to  think  for  himself  and 
the  opportunity  to  do  original 
things  and  develop  the  great  gift 
which  came  from  God  and  with 
which  he  was  born — individuality. 

Those  who  are  working  under 
this  plan  are  not  looking  for  some- 
one to  hand  them  gratuitously  what 
they  require,  but  with  honor,  dig- 
nity, and  pride  they  receive  when 
need  arises,  because  they  have  pro- 
duced. The  channels  of  the  Priest- 
hood are  the  sources  through  which 
spiritual  and  temporal  blessings 
have  been  given  and  will  continue 
to  be  bestowed  upon  the  children  of 
men. 

If  every  quorum  of  the  Church 
had  a  project  similar  to  the  one  in 
Bear  River  Stake,  the  difficult  times 
with  which  we  are  beset  would  be 
behind  us  and  nothing  but  joy  and 
thanksgiving  would  abide  in  the 
hearts  of  all. 


r~c> 


Wine  Is  A  Mocker 

(Continued  from  page  732) 

and  the  swing  arc  was  less  on  the 
days  when  alcohol  was  given  than 
on  normal  days.  As  far  then  as 
the  reflex  action  of  the  petellar  is 
concerned  alcohol  acts  as  a  narcotic. 

The  second  experiment  was  on 
the  reflex  action  of  the  eyelid.  A 
delicate  apparatus  measured  both 
the  time  and  movement  as  in  the 
petellar  reflex.  Again,  the  conclu- 
sion is  that  alcohol  acts  as  a  narcotic 
or  reflex  action.  (Simplest  Neural 
Arcs ) . 

"(1 )  Eye-reaction  to  a  suddenly 
appearing  peripheral  stimulus  is  a 
thoroughly  practiced  part  of  an  in- 
dividual's response  to  his  spatial  en- 
vironment. It  samples  his  spatial 
adjustments. 

"(2)  Speech-reaction  to  visual 
word  stimuli  is  a  thoroughly  prac- 
ticed part  of  the  individual's  re- 
sponse to  his  social  environment.  It 
samples  the  elaborate  mental  com- 
plex of  the  speech  associations,  in 
one  of  its  primitive  and  most  firmly 
established  phases." 

Therefore  they  conducted  espe- 
cially arranged  experiments  in  these 
two  fields.  At  the  conclusion  of  the 
two,  Doctor  Benedict  wrote:  "In 
general  one  must  conclude  that  a 
dose  of  forty-five  cubic  centimeters 
of  alcohol  clearly  increases  the  la- 
tency of  the  eye-reactions."  Con- 
cerning the  word-reaction  experi- 
ment: "The  average  change  of 
latency  due  to  the  ingestion  of  alco- 
(Concluded  on  page  744) 
743 


THE     IMPROVEMENT     ERA,     DECEMBER,     1938 


Wine  Is  A  Mocker 

{Concluded  from  page  743) 

hoi  is  about  three  per  cent.  In  view 
of  all  our  precautions  and  the  re- 
liability of  our  technique,  this  must 
be  regarded  as  evidence  for  a  real 
though  slight  tendency  of  moderate 
doses  of  alcohol  to  increase  the 
latency  of  word-reaction." 

If,  then,  both  eye-  and  word- 
reactions  are  slowed  down  by  the 
ingestion  of  alcohol,  again  we  have 
evidence  that  it  is  a  narcotic. 

An  interesting  experiment  in 
motor  co-ordinations  was  tried.  It 
involved  the  movement  of  the  finger 
and  the  response  of  the  eye.  The 
subject  was  seated  in  a  steamer 
chair,  near  the  recording-camera  of 
a  string  galvanometer.  A  stand 
with  an  adjustable  arm  rest  was  so 
placed  that  the  subject's  right  arm 
was  comfortably  supported  with  the 
hand  near  the  edge  of  the  recording- 
camera  table,  but  slightly  above  the 
level  of  its  top.  The  palm  of  the 
hand  rested  against  the  verticle 
wedge  -  shaped  support,  against 
which  it  was  held  by  the  flexible  but 
regular  pressure  of  a  broad  elastic 
band.  The  sharp  edge  of  this  wedge 
rested  against  the  palm  of  the  sub- 
ject's hand,  leaving  the  digits  en- 
tirely free  to  move  in  a  horizontal 
plane.  In  a  relaxed  position,  the 
upper  phalanx  of  the  middle  finger 
should  be  perpendicular  to  the  face 
of  the  recording-camera,  so  that 
when  it  was  attached  to  the  record- 
ing levers  there  would  be  as  little 
lateral  movement  of  the  levers  as 
possible.  The  operator  was  careful 
that  there  should  be  no  unnatural  or 
forced  position  of  the  hand  or 
fingers  and  that  the  arm  was  com- 
fortable. 

"\X7*hile  the  subject  sat  in  a  half- 
reclining  position  in  the  steamer 
chair,  with  electrodes  in  position, 
and  connected,  for  recording  his 
electro-cardigram  as  in  word-re- 
action movements,  a  normal  pulse 
movement  was  taken  without  finger 
movements.  Immediately  after  this 
record,  a  combined  pulse-  and  finger- 
movement  record  was  taken  as  fol- 
lows: When  the  record  started, 
the  operator  said  "go,"  in  time  with 
a  Jaquet  clock  beating  seconds. 
After  eight  seconds  the  operator 
gave  the  signal  "stop."  After  a 
sixty  second  rest,  but  without  dis- 
turbing the  position  of  the  subject's 
arm  or  finger,  a  second  finger-move- 
ment record  was  taken  like  the  first. 
The  standard  instructions,  given 
before  each  experiment,  were  as  fol- 
lows: At  a  given  signal  "go,"  move 
744 


the  middle  finger  back  and  forth  as 
fast  as  you  can  until  you  receive  the 
signal  "stop." 

The  eye-movements  were  meas- 
ured from  photographic  records. 

The  net  result  of  this  phase  of  the 
experimentation  is  that  the  velocity 
of  the  eye-movements  and  the  speed 
of  the  reciprocal  innervation  of  the 
finger  are  both  regularly  decreased 
by  the  ingestion  of  alcohol.  As  far 
as  these  processes  are  an  indication 
of  the  adequacy  of  motor-coordina- 
tion, the  effect  of  alcohol  on  motor- 
coordination  is  depressive.  The  ex- 
periments indicate  a  widespread  im- 
pairment of  motor-coordination  as 
a  result  of  moderate  doses  of  al- 
cohol. 

In  an  experiment  undertaken  to 
find  out  if  the  acceleration  of  the 
pulse  which  accompanies  the  inges- 
tion of  alcohol  was,  as  is  generally 
supposed,  an  indication  of  stimula- 
tion, the  experimenters  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  effect  was  caused 
by  a  partial  paralysis  of  the  cardio- 
inhibitory  mechanism,  or  more  sim- 
ply, the  partial  paralysis  of  the  heart 
muscles  which  control  the  flow  of 
blood. 

Another  experiment  v/hich  was 
undertaken  to  determine  the  sub- 
ject's sensitivity  to  an  electric  cur- 
rent, provided  the  following  conclu- 
sion: "The  average  sensitivity  to 
electrical  stimulation  is  decreased  by 
moderate  doses  of  alcohol." 

Of  all  the  experiments,  the  one 
concerning  eye-movements  was  con- 
sidered by  Doctors  Dodge  and 
Benedict  to  be  of  the  greatest  im- 
portance since  the  eye-movement  is 
the  one  most  removed  from  the  sub- 
ject's will. 

In  conclusion  we  may  say  that  the 
results  of  all  the  experiments  under- 
taken prove  that  the  effect  of  alcohol 
on  the  neuro-muscular  process  in 
man  is  narcotic.  It  immediately  ren- 
ders futile  the  general  practice  of 
trying  to  stimulate  a  person  by  the 
administration  of  alcohol.  During 
all  these  centuries  we  have  been 
mocked  by  wine.  Are  we  content 
to  be  deceived  forever? 

What  can  be  done  about  it?  That 
is  a  problem  for  the  whole  people  to 
decide.  First,  we  must  arouse  public 
interest  and  educate  the  public. 
When  all  the  people  are  of  one  mind 
on  a  subject,  great  and  far-reaching 
are  the  results.  For  instance,  not  all 
babies  are  born  liking  mush  for 
breakfast  in  America  and  soup  for 
supper  in  France.  These  phenomena 
are  simply  national  customs.  A  sim- 
ilar attitude  toward  total  abstinence 
would  work  wonders  in  any  country. 


Looking  Toward  1947 

(Concluded  from  page  727) 

seed  pods  or  withered  flowers,  and 
insure  a  much  longer  season  of 
bloom  in  our  gardens.  We  should 
gather  the  seeds  as  soon  as  ripe,  and 
name  and  put  them  away  until 
planting  time. 

Fall  is  the  time  to  prepare  the 
garden  for  winter  rest  and  spring 
blooming.  Dig,  plow,  fertilize. 
Make  changes  in  the  garden  bor- 
ders or  flower  beds,  paths,  etc.  If 
you  have  new  plans,  put  some  of 
them  into  operation  now — the  more 
work  we  do  in  the  garden  in  the 
fall,  the  less  we  shall  disturb  it  in 
the  spring,  when  all  it  wants  to  do 
is  bloom  and  be  beautiful.  Now  is 
the  time  to  mend  fences,  remove 
dead  plants,  shrubs,  trees,  to  clear 
away  all  rubbish,  especially  from 
corners  and  out-of-the-way  places, 
to  clean  and  put  away  all  tools. 

We  should  plant  bulbs,  transplant 
trees  and  shrubs,  divide  plants.  We 
must  plant  hardy  seeds,  such  as  lark- 
spurs, bachelor's  buttons,  California 
poppies,  Shirley  poppies,  cosmos,  for 
early  spring  blooming  now.  We 
could  prepare  the  compost  pits — two, 
at  least — for  the  stowing  away  of 
grass  cuttings,  leaves,  and  all  garden 
trimmings,  vegetable  leaves,  etc.,  so 
that  you  may  have  the  precious  soil 
they  resolve  themselves  into.  Never 
waste  anything  that  will  make  soil. 
Soil — good  soil — is  very  difficult  to 
get  these  days,  and  every  home  gar- 
den should  make  as  much  as  it  can 
for  itself.  We  need  two  compost 
pits  or  bins,  because  it  takes  a  year 
or  more  for  Old  Mother  Nature  to 
turn  garden  refuse  into  usable  soil. 
One  pit  should  be  used  for  ripening 
and  one  for  fresh  leaves.  When  the 
contents  of  one  pit  are  ready  for  use, 
they  can  be  used,  and  the  pit  is  ready 
for  the  next  year's  leaves,  etc.,  while 
pit  number  two  is  ripening — a  con- 
tinuous rotation  of  flower  food. 

Plan  for  the  winter  house  or  win- 
dow garden — the  cheery,  faithful 
geranium,  begonias,  bulbs,  etc.,  ferns 
and  foliage  plants  that  give  such 
cheer  and  delight  to  you  as  well  as 
to  the  passerby. 

Surely,  we  whose  heritage  is  that 
of  the  beauty-loving  Pioneers  can 
do  no  less  than  try  to  live  to  the 
standards  they  set.  By  organizing 
under  the  Church  Welfare  Com- 
mittee and  cooperating  with  agencies 
in  our  communities,  we  can  carry  for- 
ward the  work  which  they  so  ably 
began  and  bring  beauty  and  comfort 
into  our  surroundings  in  the  com- 
munity, our  homes,  and  our  churches. 


CONDUCTED    UNDER   THE   SUPERVISION   OF   THE   PRESIDING   BISHOPRIC — EDITED   BY  JOHN   D.    GILES 


WaJixL  Jswudk&Jidu  Wjitojaqsi,  Qanuwiy,  1939 

As  we  face  a  new  year  in  a  troubled  world,  Latter-day  Saints  face 
***  another  year  of  opportunity  for  service  in  the  Church,  for  devotion  to 
the  principles  of  the  Gospel  and  for  demonstrations  of  appreciation  for  the 
blessings  we  have  received. 

We  have  been  greatly  favored  in  the  year  that  has  just  ended.  The 
horrors  of  war  have  been  averted.  Economic  conditions  could  have  been 
very  much  worse.  As  a  rule,  our  members  have  enjoyed  more  than  an 
average  degree  of  health  and  prosperity. 

The  Church  has  made  substantial  progress.  New  stakes  and  wards 
have  been  created;  our  membership  has  shown  consistent  growth;  activity 
has  increased  in  most  wards  and  stakes;  the  Welfare  Program  has  been 
advanced  to  an  encouraging  extent,  and  in  general  the  Church  has  prospered 
and  made  splendid  advancement. 

We  should  all  be  grateful  to  our  Father  in  Heaven  for  His  many  bless- 
ings and  manifestations  of  kindness  and  mercy. 

Now,  another  year  opens  before  us.  What  experiences  and  develop- 
ments it  will  bring  we  do  not  know.  One  thing,  however,  is  certain:  the 
New  Year  brings  us  opportunities  for  service  and  devotion  to  the  Lord's 
work,  for  cooperation  with  our  brethren  and  sisters  of  the  Church  and 
friends  and  neighbors  of  other  churches,  for  overcoming  our  weaknesses 
and  shortcomings,  and  showing  our  appreciation  for  the  blessings  we  have 
received  in  the  past  by  making  every  possible  effort  to  live  as  true  Latter- 
day  Saints. 

The  New  Year  offers  a  new  opportunity  to  make  our  lives  square  with 
the  teachings  of  the  Church,  to  improve  wherein  we  have  been  remiss,  to 
comply  with  the  commandments  of  the  Lord  through  regular  attendance 
at  Sacrament  meetings,  payment  of  tithing,  respect  for  the  Sabbath,  observ- 
ance of  the  Word  of  Wisdom,  discharging  our  responsibilities  in  the 
Priesthood  and  in  other  organizations,  observing  family  and  individual 
prayer,  living  in  harmony  with  our  neighbors,  dealing  fairly  in  business 
affairs  and  in  every  way  possible  living  as  true  Latter-day  Saints. 

It  is  suggested  that  Teachers  encourage  all  members  to  examine  their 
own  activities  of  the  past  year  and  where  improvement  is  desirable  to  begin 
with  the  New  Year,  making  every  effort  to  order  their  lives  in  conformity 
with  the  principles  of  the  Gospel  and  the  teachings  of  the  Church. 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  IMPROVE- 
MENT OF  WARD  TEACHING 
IN  1939 

'T'he  basis  of  successful  ward  teaching 
is  the  love  which  the  teacher  has 
for  his  fellow  members,  and  his  desire 
for  their  welfare.  Successful  results 
in  this,  as  in  every  other  branch  of 
Church  work,  can  be  most  effectively 
obtained  by  placing  responsibility  upon 
men,  and  then  requiring  at  suitable  in- 
tervals an  accounting  of  the  work 
done. 

The  suggestions  here  made  have  to 
do  mainly  with  the  getting  of  results. 
They  are  subdivided  into  six  headings, 
as  indicated  hereunder; 

(a)   Selecting  Ward  Teachers: 

The  bishopric  in  their  meeting  should 
discuss  qualifications  of  men  to  be 
selected.  Qualities  desired  are:  Love 
of  the  Gospel,  knowledge  of  the  prin- 
ciples, kindliness,  tact,  charity,  per- 
sistence. Though  these  qualities  may 
be  lacking  they  can  be  developed. 
The  bishopric  should  personally  and 
in  a   heart-to-heart  way  consult   each 


teacher   to  be   appointed  and   get   his 
promise  to  undertake  the  work. 

(b)   Instructing  Ward  Teachers; 

The  bishopric  should  instruct  them 
at  the  time  of  their  appointment  relative 
to  desirable  qualities  to  be  cultivated, 
as  follows: 

Be  clean — morally  and  physically. 

Live  the  Gospel. 

Seek  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Pray  together  as  companions  before  mak- 
ing visits. 

Be  prepared  on  special  message  to  be 
delivered   to  members. 

Gain  a  thorough  knowledge  of  the  Gos- 
pel principles  and  instructions  of  the  au- 
thorities. 

Make  the  time  of  visit  convenient  to 
family. 

Study  each  family  and  each  individual. 

Develop  friendship  for  everyone  visited. 

Endeavor  to  meet  each  member  of  the 
family. 

Make  visits  profitable  to  everyone. 

Encourage  discussion  by  the  family  on 
the  matters  presented. 

Leave  a  blessing  in  every  home. 

Make  stay  only  long  enough  to  gain 
necessary  information,  give  necessary  in- 
struction and  have  such  conversation  on 
the  subject  as  may  be  advisable. 


If  the  family  is  not  at  home,  leave  a  card 
advising  of  visit  and  inviting  them  to  meet- 
ing. 

Seek  the  welfare  of  every  family  not  only 
during  visits  but  at  all  times. 

Make  visits  so  interesting  that  the  fam- 
ilies will  be  glad  to  have  return  call. 

Keep  careful  record  of  visits  made  and 
information  to  be  reported  to  bishopric. 

( c )  Organizing  of  Ward  Teachers  : 
In  some  wards  one  member  of  the 

bishopric  has  general  supervision  of 
ward  teaching.  In  others,  the  bishopric 
as  a  whole  has  general  supervision.  In 
either  case  the  teaching  corps  should  be 
organized  with  division  presiding 
Teachers  in  charge  of  several  district 
or  block  Teachers. 

Division  presiding  Teacher,  under  the 
direction  of  the  bishopric,  assigns  a  pair 
of  teachers  to  each  district  or  block 
in  his  division.  If,  for  any  reason,  one 
or  more  Teachers  in  his  division  can- 
not perform  their  work  temporarily, 
he  assigns  others  to  this  work  or  assists 
himself.  He  should  visit  with  one  or 
another  pair  of  teachers  to  learn  how 
they  do  their  work  and  to  advise  with 
them  as  to  methods  of  improvement. 
He  should  be  a  man  of  initiative  and 
of  resourcefulness. 

If  possible,  sufficient  ward  teachers 
should  be  available  so  that  each  pair 
of  teachers  will  have  fewer  than  eight 
families  to  visit  each  month.  In  cover- 
ing their  district,  however,  each  pair 
of  teachers  should  endeavor  to  visit 
every  home,  whether  members  or  non- 
members.  If  non-members  are  found 
that  are  willing  to  be  visited,  they 
should  be  reported  to  the  bishopric  or 
special  missionaries  for  further  visits. 
Careful  account  should  be  kept  and 
report  made  to  the  bishopric  ( preferably 
weekly)  of  people  moving  in  or  out 
of  the  ward. 

(d)  Checking  up  on  Ward 
Teachers: 

At  least  once  each  week  (preferably 
at  ward  Priesthood  meetings )  progress 
reports  on  ward  teaching  should  be 
obtained  either  directly  from  each  pair 
of  Teachers,  or  from  the  division  pre- 
siding Teachers,  and  such  encourage- 
ment given  by  the  bishopric  as  may  be 
desirable,  looking  to  the  carrying  on  of 
the  work  diligently. 

In  some  wards  roll  is  called  in  weekly 
Priesthood  meeting  of  each  pair  of 
Teachers,  and  in  answering  one  of  each 
pair  gives  the  number  of  families  vis- 
ited thus  far.  In  others,  the  division 
presiding  Teachers  submit  slips  show- 
ing the  progress  made  each  week.  In 
either  case  the  bishopric  is  in  touch  with 
the  progress  of  this  important  work. 
This  procedure  need  not  require  more 
than  five  or  six  minutes'  time  in  weekly 
Priesthood  meetings. 

(Concluded  on  page  747) 
745 


CONDUCTED    UNDER   THE   SUPERVISION   OF   THE   PRESIDING   BISHOPRIC EDITED   BY  JOHN   D.    GILES 


THE  NINETY  AND  NINE 


tt 


And  he  spake  this  parable 
unto  them,  saying, 

"What  man  of  you,  having 
an  hundred  sheep,  if  he  lose  one 
of  them,  doth  not  leave  the 
ninety  and  nine  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and  go  after  that  which  is 
lost,  until  he  find  it. 

"And  when  he  hath  found  it, 
he  layeth  it  upon  his  shoulders, 
rejoicing. 

"And  when  he  cometh  home, 
he  calleth  together  his  friends 
and  neighbors,  saying  unto 
them,  Rejoice  with  me;  for 
I  have  found  my  sheep  which 
was  lost. 

"I  say  unto  you,  that  like- 
wise joy  shall  be  in  heaven  over 
one  sinner  that  repenteth,  more 
than  over  ninety  and  nine  just 
persons,  which  need  no  repent- 
ance."— Luke  15:3  to  7. 


LAST  OPPORTUNITY  TO  CON- 
TRIBUTE TO  ONE  MILLION 
ASSIGNMENT  PLAN 

At  the  beginning  of  1938  a  plan  was 
''^announced,  under  which  the  Aaronic 
Priesthood  members  under  20  years  of 
age  were  encouraged  to  make  an  effort 
to  have  one  million  assignments  filled 
during  the  current  year. 

Under  this  plan,  each  member  was 
to  be  asked  to  fill  at  least  26  assign- 
ments per  year,  but  preferably  52,  or 
one  each  week,  which  is  the  standard 
recommended  by  the  Presiding  Bish- 
opric. At  the  half  year  period,  the 
total  assignments  filled  were  412,242, 
being  somewhat  below  the  half  million, 
which  was  the  goal  for  the  first  half 
year.  It  is  believed  that  the  deficit  can 
be  remedied  if  every  member  could  be 
induced  to  fill  one  assignment  each 
•week  during  the  month  of  December. 

There  are  in  the  Church  46,571  mem- 
bers in  the  Aaronic  Priesthood  under 
20.  If  each  of  these  could  be  in- 
duced to  fill  one  assignment  each  week 
during  December,  a  total  of  186,084 
assignments  could  be  filled  in  this  one 
month  alone.  This  would  mean  that 
this  remarkable  number  of  acts  of  ser- 
vice in  the  Church  would  be  performed 
by  members  of  the  Aaronic  Priesthood 
quorums  alone  in  one  month. 

It  is  believed  that  every  effort  to  have 
young  men  increase  their  service  to  the 
Church,  not  only  helps  the  Church,  but 
in  even  greater  measure  helps  the  per- 
son rendering  the  service.  This  is  the 
purpose  of  the  effort  to  have  one  mil- 
lion assignments  filled  during  1938,  and 
3t  is  hoped  that  every  quorum  super- 
746 


visor  will  make  a  special  effort  during 
December  to  have  every  member  make 
his  full  contribution  of  service  to  the 
Church. 

MAXIMUM  ACTIVITY  MARKS 
HIGHLAND  PARK  WARD 
AARONIC  PRIESTHOOD 

At  A  recent  Ward  Conference  ses- 
"^sion  in  Highland  Park  Ward  of  the 
Highland  Stake,  the  following  activities 
were  reported  on  the  part  of  the 
Aaronic  Priesthood  members: 

In  the  Sacrament  service  seventeen 
Deacons  passed  the  bread  and  seven- 
teen other  Deacons  passed  the  water. 
Five  Deacons  were  staged  as  orderlies 
among  members  of  the  Junior  Sunday 
School,  assisting  in  passing  of  the  bread 
and  water  to  the  young  children,  and 
also  assisting  in  maintaining  order.  One 
additional  Deacon  acted  as  a  messenger 
for  the  bishop;  accounting  for  forty 
Deacons  in  actual  service,  representing 
the  four  quorums  in  the  ward. 

Five  Priests  participated  in  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  Sacrament.  The 
ushering  was  assigned  to  the  Teachers. 
The  activity  of  such  a  large  group  of 
Aaronic  Priesthood  members  was  a  re- 
sult of  careful  planning  and  the  de- 
velopment of  a  system  over  a  period 
of  years,  which  is  designed  to  bring  into 
activity  each  week,  every  member  of 
every  quorum,  as  far  as  possible. 

NEW  PLAN  OF  STAKE 
PRIESTHOOD  CONFERENCES 

'T'he  new  plan  of  Stake  Priesthood 
Conferences  announced  by  the 
General  Authorities  gives  a  splendid 
opportunity  to  Aaronic  Priesthood 
leaders    to    arouse    interest    in    these 


meetings,  and  to  martial  the  forces  of 
each  quorum  for  full  participation.  Un- 
der the  new  plan  each  quorum  is  ex- 
pected to  attend  the  Sunday  morning 
Conference  session  as  a  body,  with  all 
the  quorums  for  each  ward  sitting  to- 
gether. Representatives  of  Priests, 
Teachers,  and  Deacons  have  been  as- 
signed places  on  the  program,  which 
should  add  materially  to  the  interest  of 
the  boys  and  young  men  of  Aaronic 
Priesthood  ages  in  this  official  Priest- 
hood gathering  of  each  stake. 

Stake  and  ward  chairmen,  commit- 
teemen, and  quorum  supervisors  are 
urged  to  give  full  cooperation  in  the 
operation  of  the  new  plan,  which 
should  prove  decidedly  helpful  in  build- 
ing quorum  unity  and  morale, 

STUDY  COURSES  FOR  1939 

/'"Nrders  are  now  being  received  by  the 
^^  Presiding  Bishopric  for  the  new 
quorum  manuals  to  be  used  in  1939. 
Every  effort  is  being  made  to  have  the 
manuals  ready  for  shipment  by  De- 
cember 10.  In  anticipation  of  the  be- 
ginning of  the  new  course  in  the  first 
meeting  in  January,  it  is  urged  that 
each  quorum  appoint  a  manual  secre- 
tary who  will  solicit  orders  from  quo- 
rum members  for  the  study  manuals 
at  10c  each.  Quorum  supervisors 
should  take  the  initiative  in  this  plan. 
Each  quorum  should  have  its  order  for 
new  manuals  ready  by  December  15. 
The  supervisor  should  give  the  orders 
to  the  ward  chairman,  who  in  turn  will 
request  the  ward  clerk  to  send  in  the 
combined  order  for  all  of  the  manuals. 
In  many  of  the  stakes  the  orders  are 
sent  in  by  the  stake  clerks  for  all  the 
wards,    which    reduces    expense    con- 


YELL0WST0NE   STAKE   AARONIC    PRIESTHOOD    CHORUS    AT    STAKE    CONFERENCE,    SEPTEMBER 

25,  1938. 

President  Heber  J.  Grant  in  center.  On  his  left  President  H.  A.  Hess,  and  Counselors  E.  Glen  Cameron 
and  A.  E.  Archibald.  Of  the  772  Priesthood  members  present  at  the  afternoon  session,  353  were  Aaronic 
Priesthood  members.     Professor  Wm.  Hanson,  Conductor  of  Chorus,  is  at  end  of  third  row  right. 


THE     IMPROVEMENT     ERA,    DECEMBER,     1938 


siderably,  and  has  been  found  to  be  a 
satisfactory  method  of  distribution. 

Each  quorum  supervisor  should  se- 
cure the  manual  for  his  quorum  as  early 
as  possible  and  read  all  of  the  instruc- 
tions before  he  conducts  the  first  class 
in  the  new  year.  As  rapidly  as  pos- 
sible thereafter,  certainly  within  the  first 
month,  he  should  read  the  entire 
manual  to  become  familiar  with  the 
subject  matter,  the  sequence  of  topics, 
the  special  events  programmed,  and 
the  general  phases  of  the  program. 
This  is  important. 

Subjects  for  the  study  course  for 
next  year  are:  Priests,  "Spiritual 
Growth;"  Teachers,  "Priesthood  Re- 
sponsibilities;" Deacons,  "The  Deacon 
and  His  Priesthood." 

The  hearty  cooperation  of  quorum 
supervisors  and  others  responsible  is 
urged  in  an  effort  to  provide  every 
quorum  member  with  a  manual  at  the 
beginning  of  the  year. 

AARONIC  PRIESTHOOD 
PROGRAM  FOR  1939 

/^omplete  plans  for  Aaronic  Priest- 
^  hood  quorum  activities,  projects, 
and  lessons  are  contained  in  the  new 
manuals  for  1939,  which  will  be  ready 
for  distribution  by  December  10.  Plans 
for  the  observance  of  the  110th  Anni- 
versary of  the  Restoration  of  the 
Aaronic  Priesthood,  including  the  Pil- 
grimages to  be  conducted  in  connection 
with  it,  are  contained  in  the  manual  in 
detail. 

A  new  feature  is  a  list  of  quorum 
projects,  both  in  connection  with  quo- 
rum activity  and  as  a  part  of  the 
Church  Welfare  Plan. 

Special  helpful  instructions  and  sug- 
gestions to  stake  and  ward  leaders  and 
quorum  officers  are  also  included. 
Orders  for  the  manuals  are  now  being 
received  by  the  Presiding  Bishopric. 
The  price  is  10c  each,  postpaid.  Orders 
should  be  sent,  preferably,  through 
ward  or  stake  clerks. 

STANDARD  QUORUM 
AWARD  FOR  1939 

Ctandard  Quorum  Awards  for  all 
^  quorums  of  the  Church  reaching 
the  standards  set  by  the  Presiding 
Bishopric  and  outlined  in  each  of  the 
quorum  manuals  are  again  announced 
for  1939.  Under  the  plan  presented 
a  year  ago,  quorums  which  qualify  for 
the  Standard  Award  in  1939  will  receive 
the  three-star  certificate,  indicating 
that  they  have  received  the  Standard 
Award  for  four  consecutive  years. 
Under  this  plan  the  regular  certificate 
is  given  to  each  quorum  for  the  first 
year  in  which  it  reaches  the  standards 
set;  the  second  year  one  star  is  added, 
and  an  additional  star  is  added  for  each 
of  the  next  two  years. 

The  number  of  Standard  Quorums 
throughout  the  Church  was  practically 
doubled  in  1937  over  1936,  and  reports 
already  received  indicate  that  applica- 
tions for  1938  awards,  which  will  be 
received  immediately  at  the   close  of 


1938,  will  far  exceed  those  of  any  pre- 
vious year. 

Responsibility  of  checking  up  on  each 
quorum  of  the  stake  and  making  appli- 
cation for  the  Standard  Award,  if  it  has 
been  earned,  rests  with  the  Stake  Chair- 
man of  Aaronic  Priesthood.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  a  number  of  quorums  have 
actually  earned  the  award,  but  because 
the  procedure  recommended  has  not 
been  followed,  the  award  has  not  been 
applied  for.     It  is  urged  that  both  Stake 


Chairmen  of  Aaronic  Priesthood  and 
their  Committees  that  immediately  at 
the  close  of  the  year  the  records  of 
every  quorum  be  inspected,  and  if  the 
award  has  been  earned,  that  applica- 
tion be  made  immediately  to  the  Pre- 
siding Bishopric.  It  is  recommended 
that  the  awards  be  presented  in  Stake 
Conferences,  or  Priesthood  meetings 
in  order  that  full  recognition  may  be 
given  to  the  quorum  officers  for  their 
excellent  work. 


THE   WORD   OF  WISDOM   REVIEW 

A  Monthly  Presentation  of  Pertinent   Information   Regarding   the 

Lord's  Law   of  Health 


YOUTH,  CRIME,  AND  ALCOHOL 

JUf ore  than  one-fifth  of  all  crime  tab- 
ulated  by  the  Federal  Bureau  of 
Investigation  on  its  Uniform  Crime  Re- 
ports is  directly  related  to  alcohol: 
Violation  of  liquor  laws,  intoxicated 
driving,  drunkenness.  Young  persons 
are  prominent  in  this  picture,  for  38 
per  cent  of  all  violations  of  liquor  laws, 
36  per  cent  of  all  intoxicated  driving, 
and  29  per  cent  of  all  drunkenness  is 
attributed  to  offenders  29  years  old  and 
under.  Judge  John  T.  Medin,  Sioux 
Falls,  S.  D.,  is  reported  to  have  said 
that  of  the  226  offenders  most  recently 
committed  to  the  state  penitentiary, 
225  have  been  drinking  before  they 
engaged  in  the  crimes  for  which  they 
were  convicted  and  sentenced. 

Extent  of  Youthful  Drinking 

Today  all  young  persons  have  to 
make  a  choice  between  drinking  or  not 
drinking.  A  study  made  by  Dr.  Paul 
Studenski,     New     York     University, 


shows  that  83  per  cent  of  the  youth 
between  18  and  25  in  the  area  of  his 
inquiry  were  drinking.  Two-thirds  of 
those  from  18  to  21,  and  three- fourths 
of  those  from  22  to  25  were  drinking 
hard  liquors. 

Another  study,  made  in  an  eastern 
seaboard  state,  shows  that  54  per  cent 
of  the  young  people  questioned  were 
drinking. 

Still  another  study,  made  by  Allied 
Youth  in  an  important  city  in  New 
York  State,  where  2,200  senior  high 
school  students  were  questioned, 
showed  that  48.62  per  cent  were 
drinking,  and  that  two-thirds  of  all  the 
students  came  from  homes  where  some 
alcoholic  beverages  were  served. 

Checking  these  results  with  high 
school  groups  in  Michigan,  Illinois, 
Oregon,  Louisiana  and  South  Carolina, 
the  results  were  approximately  the 
same:  44  per  cent  of  the  students 
drinking,  60  per  cent  coming  from 
homes  where  alcoholic  beverages  were 
served. 


■  ♦ 


WARD   TEACHING 

(Concluded  from  page  745) 


If  any  Teachers  are  unable  to  visit, 
and  the  work  is  being  hampered,  the 
bishop,  through  the  division  presiding 
teachers,  can  make  temporary  assign- 
ments to  care  for  the  situation. 

( e )  Reports  From  Ward  Teachers  : 
At  the  monthly  teachers'  report  meet- 
ing, to  be  held  near  the  end  of  the  month, 
either  as  a  part  of  the  weekly  Priest- 
hood meeting  or  as  a  separate  meeting, 
report  sheets  should  be  turned  in  by 
each  pair  of  Teachers,  preferably 
through  division  presiding  Teachers. 

Information  in  writing  should  be 
furnished  regarding  changes.  Each  di- 
vision presiding  Teacher  should  make 
a  verbal  statement  of  the  number  of 
families  visited  compared  with  the  total 
number  in  the  division,  together  with 
any  comments.  If  any  district  teachers 
have  suggestions  or  questions  they 
should  be  given  the  opportunity  to 
present  the  same.  Roll  call  of  teachers 
present  should  be  had.  Instructions 
relative  to  following  month's  teaching, 
and  the  nature  of  the  message,  should 
be  prepared.     Commendation    of   the 


activity  of  the  Teachers  should  be  given 
and  any  especially  encouraging  inci- 
dents related.  This  procedure  can  be 
carried  over,  if  properly  arranged,  in 
a  relatively  short  time. 

Information  to  be  handed  in  by  dis- 
trict Teachers  to  bishopric  directly  or 
through  division  presiding  teachers: 

Names  and  addresses  of  families  moved' 
in  and  where  from. 

Names  and  addresses  of  families  moved 
away  and  where  to. 

Births,  deaths,  marriages,  etc. 

Cases  of  sickness,  distress,  and  trouble. 

Report  sheet  of  visits. 

(f )  Results  to  be  Expected: 

If  the  ward  Teachers  are  performing 
their  part  properly  the  result  obtained! 
will  be: 

Increased  attendance  at  Sacramental  and 
other  meetings. 

Greater  love  and  kindness  of  members  for 
each  other. 

Increase  of  faith  among  members. 

Decrease  of  transgression  and  trouble. 

747 


OFFICERS  AND  DIRECTORS  OF  THE  GENEALOGICAL  SOCIETY  OF  UTAH 


JOSEPH  FIELDING  SMITH, 

President  and  Treasurer. 

JOSEPH  CHRISTENSON, 

Vice  President. 
ARCHIBALD  F.  BENNETT, 

Secretary   and   Librarian. 


JOHN  A.  WIDTSOE, 
A.  WILLIAM  LUND, 
JAMES  M.  KIRKHAM, 
MARK  E.   PETERSEN, 
Directors. 


HAROLD  J.  KIRBY, 

Assistant  Secretary. 
L.  GARRETT  MYERS, 

Assistant  Treasurer  and 
Superintendent  of   Research   Bureau 
ELLEN  HILL, 

Assistant  Librarian. 


CYCLE  TOURS  TO  BRITISH 
CEMETERIES 

By  Clifford  Hartley 

TiyfAiNTAiNiNG  progress  in  the  genea- 
*■  A  logical  activities  of  each  branch  is 
a  most  important  task,  since  we  realize 
the  necessity  of  this  great  work.  Pres- 
ton Branch  of  the  Liverpool  District 
has  evolved  a  system  of  combining  out- 
ings with  genealogical  work  which  has 
proved  most  successful  during  the  past 
two  summers. 

It  has  been  our  practice  to  have  one 
or  more  of  the  missionaries  lead  a  group 
of  members  on  a  cycle  tour  on  the 
weekly  half  holiday.  The  group  goes 
equipped  with  small  notepads  and  pen- 
cils, and  the  tour  is  routed  to  pass  at 
least  two  cemeteries.  Upon  arriving 
at  the  graveyard,  the  Elder  in  charge 
allocates  parts  of  the  area  or  rows  of 
graves  to  each  member,  who  then  copies 
all  the  inscriptions  in  his  territory. 
The  chairman  of  the  local  society 
gathers  all  the  entries  and  sorts  them 
into  their  various  name  groups. 

This  method  has  given  splendid  re- 
sults, with  more  than  40  cemeteries  be- 
ing covered  on  14  half-day  trips.  The 
total  mileage  was  about  300  miles,  with 
approximately  52  actual  hours  spent  in 
recording. 

When  our  activities  are  completed 
here  the  expense  of  searching  records 
will  be  in  a  great  many  instances  halved, 
and  some  possibly  avoided  altogether. 
By  the  simple  expedient  of  writing  the 
branch  genealogical  chairman,  who  has 
the  records  in  his  keeping,  all  the  in- 
formation can  be  gained  in  a  few  min- 
utes which  formerly  would  have  taken 
weeks  of  graveyard  searching. 

This  system  has  many  other  advan- 
tages. We  have  noticed  many  stones, 
while  recording,  which  have  suffered 
the  ravages  of  time,  even  though  some 
were  in  sheltered  places.  The  thought 
impressed  me  as  I  looked  at  these  stones 
that  it  is  going  to  be  difficult  and  ex- 
pensive for  someone  to  trace  his  gene- 
alogy through  that  particular  family, 
and  yet,  how  simple  it  would  be  for  us 
as  an  organization  of  the  Church  to 
make  ourselves  responsible  for  the 
recording  of  every  cemetery  in  our  own 
home  town. 

We  also  found  that  by  sending  or 
giving  a  copy  of  the  epitaphs  to  the 
minister  of  the  particular  church  whose 
yard  we  had  covered,  we  often  opened 
the  way  for  further  work  to  be  done  on 
the  register  inside  the  church.    An  out- 

748 


standing  example  of  this  is  demon- 
strated in  the  experience  of  a  member 
from  Liverpool  and  the  author.  We 
spent  approximately  six  hours  searching 
the  records  of  one  church,  and  the  only 
fees  the  minister  would  take  were  a 
grateful  "thank  you"  and  the  promise 
of  a  typed  record  of  the  families  for 
which  we  had  been  searching. 

In  this  great  work  we  find  that  where 
a  prayerful  and  sincere  desire  to  work 
is  manifest,  the  Lord  is  more  than  will- 
ing to  help  us.  The  responsibility  that 
is  ours  is  brought  home  to  us  when  we 
are  actually  engaged  in  this  work.  My 
own  personal  experience  has  eliminated 
any  doubt  as  to  the  authenticity  of  the 
divine  command  that  was  given  to  our 
Prophet,  Seer,  and  Revelator  in  the 
fulfillment  of  the  prophecy  of  Malachi. 

I  can  testify  humbly  that  I  know  and 
have  experienced  those  blessings  I  de- 
scribe, and  it  is  my  sincere  wish  that  all 
of  us  may  be  counted  worthy  to  have 
the  privilege  of  continuing  in  this  work 
for  many  years  to  come. 

"TEACHING  ONE  ANOTHER" 

The  New  Senior  Genealogical 
Course 

Tt  is  the  desire  of  the  Genealogical 
A  Society  that  all  Senior  Classes  com- 
plete the  lessons  they  are  now  studying 
by  the  end  of  the  year,  so  that  all  will 
start  with  the  new  lessons  the  first  of 
January. 

The  lesson  text  for  all  Senior  Gene- 
alogical Classes  for  the  year  1939  and 
the  first  half  of  1940  is  entitled  "Teach- 
ing One  Another."  It  is  written  in  story 
form  and  is  made  still  more  attractive 
with  numerous  illustrations.  It  is  now 
in  the  press,  and  should  be  available 
for  distribution  by  the  end  of  Novem- 
ber. This  lesson  text  will  be  printed 
as  a  separate  volume,  and  will  be  ob- 
tainable in  paper  cover  for  40c  and  in 
cloth  binding  for  75c,  postpaid,  from 
the  Genealogical  Society  or  the  Deseret 
Book  Co. 

All  Senior  Genealogical  Classes 
should  start  the  new  lesson  course  the 
first  of  the  year.  There  is  an  assigned 
date  for  each  senior  lesson.  Every 
fourth  week,  however,  instead  of  a 
regular  class  discussion  being  held, 
the  members  of  the  committee  and  class 
members,  after  a  preliminary  meeting 
together,  will  go  out  in  pairs  for  home 
teaching  in  the  homes  of  the  ward. 

The  text  will  give  actual  examples 
of  home  teaching  visits,  effective  meth- 
ods of  approach,   how   difficulties   are 


encountered  and  solved,  and  what  as- 
sistance can  be  given  in  record  keeping, 
research,  and  in  temple  work.  In  short, 
all  phases  of  genealogical  and  temple 
activities  will  be  exemplified  in  the 
course  of  the  story.  At  the  end  of  these 
lessons  are  listed  "Points  for  Discus- 
sion" which  will  serve  to  give  practical 
application  to  the  truths  presented  in  the 
body  of  the  lesson. 

HOW  TO  TRACE  YOUR 
ANCESTRY 

Tn  the  National  Historical  Magazine 
(official  organ  of  the  Daughters  of 
the  American  Revolution )  for  Novem- 
ber, 1938,  page  56,  some  helpful  sug- 
gestions on  research  are  given  which 
are  reprinted  below. 

In  response  to  requests  from  our  readers 
for  helpful  suggestions  in  compiling  family 
records,  we  shall  from  time  to  time  give 
references  that  may  serve  as  bases  for 
further  research. 

Our  advice  always  is  that  the  individual 
first  attempt  to  do  her  own  research.  Do 
not  try  to  collect  everything  that  is  to  be 
had  on  the  surname  and  then  try  to  fasten 
the  record  on  some  well-known  individual 
of  the  same  name.  Follow  your  own  lineage 
according  to  an  outline  or  chart  from  your- 
self through  your  parents,  grandpnrents, 
great-grandparents,  and  so  on,  giving  their 
dates  and  consecutive  residences.  This  is 
the  only  satisfactory  or  reliable  procedure. 
Accept  nothing  that  cannot  be  proved  by 
vital  statistics,  wills,  deeds,  and  other  offi- 
cial records.  Family  tradition  is  usually 
based  upon  fact,  but  it  cannot  be  relied 
upon  until  supported  by  evidence. 

All  sources  of  information  should  be  ex- 
plored, such  as  family  letters,  correspond- 
ence with  different  relatives,  town  and 
county  histories,  etc.;  newspaper  accounts 
of  funerals,  especially  those  of  rural  com- 
munities, often  give  extensive  family  data. 
Undertakers'  files  are  a  seldom-sought 
source  of  information.  We  have  on  file  in 
our  Library  several  volumes  of  mortuary 
records  of  persons  who  died  during  the  year 
ending  June  30,  1850.  These  give  the  name, 
age,  state  of  birth,  and  cause  of  death. 
Those  of  Georgia  and  Tennessee  arranged 
by  counties  are  especially  helpful. 

Many  localities  are  establishing  genea- 
logical departments  in  the  public  libraries. 
This  should  be  encouraged.  The  twelve 
census  schedules  of  1790  should  be  among 
the  first  reference  books  acquired  and  the 
cost  of  $1.00  per  volume  is  negligible  when 
one  considers  the  world  of  information  that 
each  contains.  Our  D.  A.  R.  Lineage 
Books,  especially  the  later  publications,  as 
well  as  those  of  other  patriotic  societies 
with  lineage  requirements  for  membership, 
contain  excellent  material  for  research. 

Bear  in  mind  always  that  cooperation  is 
the  keynote  of  success  in  every  undertaking. 


General   Superintendency 
Y.  M.  M.  I.  A. 

GEORGE   Q.   MORRIS 

JOSEPH  J.  CANNON 

BURTON  K.  FARNSWORTH 

OSCAR  A.  KIRKHAM. 

Executive  Secretarit 


General  Offices  Y.  M.  M.  I.  A. 

50  NORTH  MAIN  STREET 

SALT  LAKE  CITY,  UTAH 

General  Offices  Y.  W.  M.  I.  A. 

33  BISHOP'S  BUILDING 

SALT  LAKE  CITY,  UTAH 

Send  all  Correspondence  to  Committees  Direct  to  General  Offices 


General  Presidency 

Y.  W.  M.  I.  A. 

LUCY  GRANT  CANNON 

HELEN  S.  WILLIAMS 

VERNA  W.  GODDARD 

CLARISSA  A.  BEESLEY. 

Executive  Secretary 


President  Grant's  Tribute  to  Martha  H.  Tingey 


From  the  remarks  made  at  the 
funeral  of  Martha  H.  Tingey, 
former  President  of  the  Young 
Women's  Mutual  Improvement  As- 
sociation, we  have  selected  for  re- 
printing here  these  words  of  Presi- 
dent Grant  which  we  know  will  be 
appreciated  by  the  untold  thousands 
who  knew  of  Sister  Tingey's  valiant 
work  in  the  M.  I.  A.: 

"I  feel  grateful  that  the  hour  of  these 
services  was  changed  so  that  I  might 
have  the  privilege  of  being  present. 

"Being  a  member  of  the  first  Young 
Men's  Mutual  Improvement  Associa- 
tion organized  in  the  Church,  and  one 
of  the  counselors  to  the  President,  of 
course,  I  have  been  as  familiar  as  one 
could  be  with  the  growth  of  the  Mu- 
tual Improvement  work.  Before  the 
Mutual  Improvement  work  was  started 
a  few  of  us  belonged  to  a  Literary  Asso- 
ciation known  as  the  "Wasatch  Liter- 
ary Association."  I  was  just  writing 
down  the  results  of  this  beginning  in 
connection  with  Mutual  Improvement 
work: 

"The  President  of  the  Church  was  a 
member  of  our  association;  also  Rudger 
Clawson,  the  President  of  the  Apos- 
tles; also  Apostle  Orson  F.  Whitney; 
Brigadier  General  Richard  W.  Young; 
the  first  Governor  of  the  State,  Heber 
M.  Wells;  Rulon  S.  Wells,  of  the  First 
Council  of  the  Seventy;  the  President 
of  the  Young  Ladies'  Mutual  Im- 
provement Associations  of  the  Church, 
Martha  H.  Tingey;  the  manager  of  the 
Church  Newspaper,  Horace  G.  Whit- 
ney, and  many  others.  Last  but  not 
least,  some  of  us  found  our  wives  in 
that  association. 

"All  of  the  very  splendid  things  that 
have  been  said  here  today  I  know  from 
personal  association  and  intimate  ac- 
quaintance with  Sister  Tingey  to  be 
true.  She  was  worthy  of  anything  and 
everything  that  has  been  said.  I  know 
of  no  more  faithful,  humble,  and  true 
Latter-day  Saint  than  was  Sister 
Tingey. 

"I  am  grateful  indeed  for  the  Gospel 
of  Jesus  Christ;  I  am  grateful  in  my 
heart  upon  occasions  of  this  kind  far 
beyond  any  ability  with  which  the  Lord 
has  inspired  me  to  express  my  ideas  of 
true  gratitude  and  thanksgiving.  .  ,  . 

"We  have  the  truth.  We  have  the 
Gospel  and  we  have  the  Plan  of  Life 
and  Salvation.     We  have  that  which  is 


of  more  value  than  life  itself,  and  of  all 
the  women  with  whom  I  have  been  ac- 
quainted I  know  of  no  one  who  had 
that  knowledge  more  perfectly  than  did 
Sister  Tingey.  Her  parents  were 
loyal  and  true  Latter-day  Saints.  She 
was  born  like  Nephi  of  old  of  "goodly 
parents,"  and  that  is  one  of  the  finest 
heritages  that  any  of  us  could  have.  .  . 
"I  remember  how  happy  I  was  while 
in  England,  when  I  read  of  the  calling 
of  Sister  Tingey  to  be  the  President  of 
our  Young  Women's  organization.  I 
thought  it  was  a  fine  recognition  of  her 
ability  and  integrity  and  devotion  to 
the  Lord  that  she  had  been  named  the 
President.  I  congratulate  her  family 
on  the  very  remarkable  and  wonderful 
example  that  she  has  set  for  them.  And 
there  is  life  eternal  in  store  for  all  of 
them — -not  only  life  eternal  but  the 
highest  glory,  if  they  will  only  follow 
the  splendid  example  that  has  been  left 
them  by  Sister  Tingey,   their  mother. 

"I  am  never  so  grateful  for  the  Gos- 
pel of  Jesus  Christ  as  I  am  upon  occa- 
sions of  this  kind.  It  has  fallen  to  my 
lot  to  attend  funerals  in  far-off  Japan, 
in  England,  and  in  different  parts  of  the 
United  States,  and  I  have  seen  people 
stricken  beyond  reconciliation  at 
funerals  because  of  the  anguish  and 
hopelessness  of  their  outlook.  .  .  . 

"I  want  to  leave  my  testimony  with 
you  good  people  that  from  the  time  I 
became  interested  in  the  insurance  busi- 
ness as  a  young  boy  of  fifteen,  meeting 
with  officials  of  various  companies  in 
England,  Scotland,  France,  Germany, 
New  York,  Chicago,  and  San  Fran- 
cisco, my  association  has  been  with 
people  not  of  our  faith,  so  far  as  my 
business  relations  have  been  concerned, 
and  I  have  never  found  anything  that 
has  been  an  obstacle  to  my  faith  in  the 
Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ.  On  the  other 
hand,  I  have  been  finding  from  time  to 
time,  all  these  sixty-odd  years,  argu- 
ments that  appealed  to  the  intelligence 
that  I  possess  regarding  the  divinity  of 
this  work;  and  the  lives  of  the  faithful 
Latter-day  Saints,  and  the  complete 
failure  of  those  who  are  not  faithful, 
even  members  of  the  Quorum  to  which 
I  belong  that  have  not  been  obedient, 
have  been  evidences  to  me  that  this 
work  is  true.  "Obedience  is  better  than 
sacrifice  and  to  hearken  than  the  fat  of 
rams,"  and  no  more  obedient,  splendid 
sister  ever  lived  than  our  good  sister 
whose  remains  lie  before  us. 

"May  God  bless  her  memory  and  in- 


spire her  family  to  follow  her  splendid 
example,  is  my  humble  and  sincere 
prayer,  and  I  ask  it  in  the  name  of  our 
Redeemer  and  Savior,  Jesus  Christ. 
Amen." 

CREATIVE  WORK  IN  STAKES 
AND  WARDS 

HThe  Theme  Festival  idea  and  pro- 
gram  this  year  will  make  history  for 
the  M.  I.  A.  We  are  confident  that 
the  achievements  in  stakes  and  wards 
will  be  long  remembered.  Particularly 
it  is  desired  that  all  officers  and  mem- 
bers turn  their  attention  to  creative 
work,  "Developing  the  gifts  within 
them."  Everywhere  people  should  be 
inspired  and  stimulated  to  write  original 
plays  or  dramatizations;  to  produce 
original  poetry  and  public  addresses, 
stories,  or  essays;  to  compose  original 
music  and  original  dances,  all  illustra- 
tive of  our  noble  theme,  "By  love  serve 
one  another." 

SUNDAY  EVENING  SERVICE 
DECEMBER 

HP  he  program  outlined  for  the  Sunday 
Evening  Service  of  this  month — 
"The  Savior  of  the  World,  the  Divine 
Guide  along  the  Road  to  Happiness" 
— can  be  made  one  of  the  most  beauti- 
ful of  the  series.  Great  care  should  be 
exercised  in  its  preparation.  The  peo- 
ple of  the  ward  should  all  be  invited 
to  attend  and  should  be  informed  ahead 
of  time  as  to  the  nature  of  the  program, 
so  that  they  will  come  in  a  deeply  re- 
ligious attitude  of  mind.  Those  who 
take  part  upon  the  program  in  the  ad- 
dresses, the  book  reviews,  the  stories, 
the  music,  should  do  so  in  the  spirit  of 
worship  and  adoration  of  the  Redeemer. 

M.  I.  A.  ASSEMBLY 

Programs  up  to  date  have  been  en- 
joyed  greatly  in  all  of  the  wards  of 
the  Church.  Particularly  entertaining 
was  the  one  on  November  8th,  "Be- 
tween the  Book  Ends." 

Let's  Have  Move  Parties 
(December  7th) 

This  also  is  a  program  of  easy  pres- 
entation. Be  sure  to  intersperse  several 
musical  numbers  between  the  talks. 

An  Evening  With  Bach 
(December  14th) 

If  done  well,  this  evening  will  never 

be   forgotten.      Every  person   present 

will  be  lifted  up  and  enriched  by  an 

increased  acquaintance  with  this  master 

(Concluded  on  page  750) 

749 


THE     IMPROVEMENT     ERA,     DECEMBER,     1938 


Mutual  Messages 

(Concluded  from  page  749) 

of  music.  As  suggested  in  the  program 
itself,  there  are  three  ways  of  presen- 
tation, adapted  to  the  various  facilities 
of  the  wards.  It  is  hoped  that  no 
association  in  the  Church  will  omit  this 
evening  on  music. 

Christmas  Gold  (December  21st) 

Another  lovely  religious  program  is 
offered  for  this  evening  preceding  the 
Holidays.  Special  invitation  should  be 
issued  to  members  of  the  ward  to  gather 
together  and  enjoy  the  real  Christmas 
spirit,  listening  to  the  story  of  the  Babe 
of  Bethlehem  as  told  in  the  scripture, 
and  to  choice  poems  interspersed  with 
Christmas  Music. 

Special  Note:  Our  attention  has 
been  called  to  the  fact  that  a  number 
of  associations  invite  persons  from 
other  wards  to  participate  on  the  Sun- 
day Evening  Service  programs  and  also 
on  the  Assembly  Programs  on  Tuesday 
evening.  Where  such  is  the  case,  we 
strongly  urge  that  these  special  guests 
be  invited  to  remain  during  the  entire 
evening,  particularly  at  the  Sunday 
Evening  Service.  Their  gracious  spirit 
of  cooperation  and  their  talented  pres- 
entations are  deeply  appreciated  by  all, 
but  it  is  felt  that  they  should  not  accept 
more  than  one  appointment  on  an  eve- 
ning. 

In  the  Executive  Guide,  the  statement 
was  made  that  for  the  evening  on 
"Christmas  Gold"  the  Era  would  give 
some  additional  poems  from  which  to 
select.  Two  of  them  are  given  below 
and  attention  is  called  also  to  the  fron- 
tispiece of  this  magazine  and  the  poetry 
page. 

FOR  SIX  AT  CHRISTMAS-TIDE 
By  Elsie  Talmage  Brandley 

Around  a  table   where  the  lamplight   spreads 
A  ring  of  warmth,   a  pool  of  golden  cheer, 

Sit  six  I  love,  with  pencils  poised,  and  brows 
Drawn   into   lines  of   puzzlement   severe; 

Of  vital  import  is   the  work  at  hand — 

To   Santa  Claus  they  write  of  little  schemes. 

To  tell  him  of  their  needs  and  wants  and  hopes. 
To   ask  him  to  remember  all   their   dreams. 

Their  names   are  signed,  ana     'ere   the  dream-fraught 
page 
Shall  flutter,  flame-borne,   up   the  chimney-place. 
They  ask  that  I  shall  read  with  critic's  eye; 
Anxiety   is  stamped  on  each   young  face. 
***** 

To  bed  they  troop,  eyes  full  of  distances — ■ 
So  many  things  to  make  them  glad  they  see; 

Their  letter  safely  off,  their  prayer  well-said. 
They  give  themselves   to  slumber,  peacefully. 

Tonight  six  children  rest   in   deep   repose, 

Their  slates  of  life  all  clear,  their  troubles  few; 

Tomorrow   they   will   be   six   women    grown, 
With  all  the  problems  of  the  world  in  view. 

They  ask  for  party-dress  with   silken  sheen; 

For  necklace  on  a  white  young  throat  to  wear; 
For  books  and  games;   for  fruit  and  candy  sweet; 

A   wrist-watch,   and  a  doll  with   curly  hair— 
***** 

My  eyes  grow  misty,   and  the  fire-flames 
Are  silver  stars  and  arrows  to  my   sight. 

Where  shall  I  seek  to  find  for  them  the  gifts 
That  I  would  put  in  stockings  six  tonight? 

I  would  find  magic  fabric  for  a  gown 
To  wrap  its  wearer  close   in  happiness; 

Its  folds   to  be  a   cloak  of  modesty, 

Its  silver  gleam  white  innocence  to  dress. 

I   would  find  Jewel  of  luster  pure  and  clear-- 
The  thoughts  and  hopes  of  radiant  maidenhood; 

Its  setting  simple,    as   the   purest  joy 
Is  found  in  simple  task  and  quiet  aood. 

750 


Their  books  should  whisper  from  the  pages  new 
Secrets  of  laughter  and  of  hallowed  tears; 

Their    games   enchanted  be— the  games  of  life, 
And  rules  to  play  them  fair  throughout  the  years. 


Where  to  find  sweets  of  spirit,  and  of  heart7 
Of  kindly  words  to  help  along  the  way? 

Where     grow     the     fruits    of     years     well-lived 
loved? — 
These   would   I   put   in   stockings   six,   todayl 


and 


The  watch  should  tick  away  throughout  the  hours 
And    measure   only  moments   glad   and    gay. 

And   sound    a    little   chime  when   danger  nears, 
And   warn   temptations,    fraught  with  fear,   away. 

A   doll   I'd   find  endowed  with  power   to   speak 

And   whisper  all   the   joys   of  motherhood; 
With  hands  to  grasp  the   heartstrings  of  a  girl 

And   guide  her  into  pathways  light  and  good. 

***** 

I  seek  in  vain  for  magic  frock  and  jewel; 

For   witchery  of   time-piece,   silver-chimed. 

And  drop,  instead,  a  wordless  little  prayer 

That   life   will   bring   the   gifts  I   cannot   find. 
***** 

And   when   their  childhood  days  are   put  aside, 

May   they   dream   dreams  for  six,   at   Christmas-tide! 
Courtesy  Relief  Society  Magazine. 

THE  LIGHTS   OF  CHRISTMAS 
By   Carlton  Culmsee 

Turning   the    yellow   scroll   of   history, 
1  saw  that  the  most  precious  gifts  to  man 
Have   come  from   poor  men.     Bosoms   thinly   clad 
Can   feel    the   bitter  wind   of  the  world's  need. 
And   there   are  earnest   souls   who  are   ashamed 
That  they  can   give  the  needy  ones  about  them 
So  little   food   and  clothing;  so   they  search 
Their  hearts  with  the  thin  fingers  of  their  longing 
And  sometimes  bring  forth  strangely  finer  things. 

My   mother   gave  me   much,   but  over   all 

I  hold   the  love  of  Christmas  that  she  fostered, 

Christmas  in   deeper  meaning. 

First  she  lit 
The  little  crimson  candle  of  a  baby's 
Primitive   glee   with  jolly   Yuletide  lilts. 
Colors,  and  lights.     Next  with  the  tale  of  Christ 
She  kindled    the  white   taper   of   young   awe. 

And    then    one    empty    Christmas-time,    her    sadness 

At  having   nothing  for  the  ones  she  loved — 

A    sorrow   almost   covered   with   a   smile 

And  words  of  hope — she  made  me  see  a  gleam 

Of  something  that  I  should  have  seen  before: 

That  folks   in  the  threadbare  garments  hold  the  power 

Of  doing  splendid  deeds  and  giving  greatly. 

As  Jesus   proved  long  centuries  ago. 

That  gleam  has  brightened  to  reveal  a  world 
More  rich   and   potent,   with   a  sunrise   flush 
Of  promise. 

Likely  I   shall    never  gather 
A  heap   of  heavy  gold,  but  I  believe 
That  some  day  I  may  reach  an  inner  vein 
Of   some   strong   metal  for  the   tools  of  men 
Who   work   the  roadways   to   the   high   plateau. 

From    The   Improvement    Era. 

HOTEL  EXECUTIVE  PRAISES 
MORMON  YOUTH  CONDUCT 

7V    letter  from  the  manager  of  the 
Embassy  Hotel,  Los  Angeles,  writ- 
ten   to    President   Edward    Sutton   of 
Oquirrh  Stake,  contains  the  following: 

HOTEL  EMBASSY 

Grand  Avenue  at  Ninth  St. 

Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

President  Edward  Sutton 
Oquirrh  Stake, 
Magna,  Utah. 

Dear   Sir: 

During  the  recent  American  Legion  Con- 
vention I  was  privileged  in  numbering 
among  the  guests  of  this  hotel,  a  group  of 
boys  and  girls  from  the  Cyprus  Post,  Amer- 
ican Legion,  and  I  was  told  the  majority  of 
these  young  people  are  members  of  your 
Church. 

The  conduct  of  these  young  people  was 
so  outstandingly  fine,  and  they  were  so  re- 
freshingly wholesome  they  captivated  every- 
one with  whom  they  came  in  contact.  They 
are  a  credit  in  every  respect  to  their  families, 
their  church  and  to  the  community  of 
Magna. 

Upon  many  past  occasions  I  have  had 


reason  to  write  school  and  church  author- 
ities concerning  juvenile  groups  who  have 
been  at  this  hotel,  and  many  of  those  letters 
were  not  in  a  complimentary  vein.  You 
may  well  understand  the  genuine  pleasure 
I  have  in  writing  you. 

Respectfully  yours, 
(Signed)  Andrew  W.  Baker, 

Manager. 

THE  CIRCULATION  OF 
LIBRARY  BOOKS 

By  Amelia  Bennion 

Dy  this  time,  all  of  the  books  of  your 
collection  should  be  accessioned  and 
a  record  made  of  each  book.  They  are 
also  classified,  each  with  a  number,  so 
that  each  book  is  grouped  on  the  shelf 
with  other  books  on  the  same  subject. 
Each  is  now  prepared  with  a  pocket 
and  a  dating  slip.  Three  cards  should, 
be  prepared  for  each  book,  to  be  filed 
in  a  box  where  people  wanting  books 
can  see  just  what  you  have  in  your 
library. 

Perhaps  as  you  were  classifying  your 
books  to  give  them  numbers,  you  found, 
that  a  book  contained  more  than  one 
subject.  This  made  it  difficult  for  you 
to  decide  what  number  to  give  it.  After 
you  reached  a  decision,  you  wanted 
to  let  your  patrons  know  by  the  cata- 
logue about  the  other  subjects  treated 
in  the  book.  In  order  to  do  that,  you 
can  make  another  subject  catalogue 
card  with  the  new  subject,  the  title  of 
the  book  and  the  author,  and  file  it  in. 
alphabetical  order.  You  can  make  as 
many  of  these  cards  as  you  want,  for 
as  many  subjects  in  the  book  as  you 
think  your  patrons  will  want  to  use. 
For  example,  in  a  life  of  Christ,  if  Mary 
His  mother  is  treated,  write  another 
subject  card  and  file  it  in  the  catalogue, 
giving  the  pages  on  which  the  informa- 
tion may  be  found,  so  that  anyone  want- 
ing to  know  something  about  her  will 
be  able  to  find  it  easily. 

Now,  in  order  that  you  may  be  able 
to  find  all  the  catalogue  cards  for  a 
certain  book  (if  it  is  lost  or  destroyed, 
and  not  in  your  library  any  more )  write 
on  the  back  of  the  author  card  a  list  of 
all  the  cards  you  have  made  for  that 
book.  When  the  book  is  lost,  all  of 
these  cards  should  be  removed.  How- 
ever, wait  for  a  long  enough  time  to 
be  sure  that  the  book  is  really  gone 
and  don't  take  the  cards  out  if  you  have 
another  copy  of  the  book  or  if  you  are 
going  to  buy  another.  This  process  of 
writing  a  list  on  the  author  card  of  all 
the  catalogue  cards  is  called  the  tracing 
(finding  cards). 

Another  thing  you  can  start  now  is 
the  circulation  of  books  and  keeping 
an  account  of  them.  There  is  a  card 
in  the  pocket  of  each  book,  bearing  the 
accession  number  and  the  call  number. 
You  also  have  a  date-due  slip  on  the 
page  opposite  the  pocket.  When  the  pa- 
tron brings  the  book  to  you  to  be  check- 
ed out,  take  out  the  book  card  from  the 
pocket.  Write  on  it  the  person's  name 
(and  address,  if  necessary)  and  the 
date  on  which  the  book  is  due,  and 
keep  the  book  card.     Also  write  on 


THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA,  DECEMBER,  1938 


the  date-due  slip  that  date  on  which  the 
book  is  due,  which  is  to  remind  the 
borrower  when  to  return  it.  In  most 
libraries  a  book  is  lent  for  two  weeks. 
If  that  is  not  sufficient  time,  the  bor- 
rower should  bring  the  book  to  the 
library  and  have  it  renewed  for  another 
two  weeks.  This  new  date  should  be 
stamped  or  written  again  on  both  the 
book  card  and  the  date-due  slip.  File 
these  book  cards  in  order  by  number. 
If  the  book  is  kept  out  over  time,  de- 
cide what  fine  you  will  charge  each 
day  or  week.  Remember  that  the 
trouble  with  many  of  our  Church  col- 
lections of  books  is  that  they  have  been 
borrowed  with  no  record  and  have  be- 
come lost.  A  fine  for  over-due  books 
may  remind  borrowers  to  return  them 
on  time.  This  fine  money  can  be  used 
for  buying  new  books  or  for  supplies 
used  in  preparing  the  books  for  circu- 
lation. 

When  you  inaugurate  this  system, 
explain  to  the  people  of  your  wards 
what  your  rules  are  and  the  purpose  of 
them  and  ask  for  cooperation.  If  pos- 
sible, get  permission  to  speak  to  each 
auxiliary  and  all  other  meetings  to  ex- 
plain the  system,  so  that  each  auxiliary 
will  want  to  add  books  to  these  collec- 
tions to  provide  reading  material  and 
aids  to  their  members  in  the  study  of 
the  lessons. 

For  you  as  a  librarian,  this  will  af- 
ford an  education,  especially  if  you 
look  into  the  books  enough  to  be  able 
to  help  people  not  only  in  caring  for 
them  but  also  in  helping  them  find  ma- 
terial that  they  may  not  know  about. 
A  very  famous  librarian,  the  author  of 
some  books  on  librarianship  has  said, 
"Reference  work  is  sympathetic  and  in- 
formed aid  in  interpreting  library  col- 
lections for  study  and  research."  A 
book  that  will  prove  helpful  to  you  is 
Akers'  Simple  Library  Cataloging. 


M  Men  committee  which  will  give 
added  interest  to  the  tournament.  Here 
you  are: 

1.  This  year  the  expenses  of  ten  men 
instead  of  eight  will  be  paid  at  the  tourna- 
ment. This  will  include  nine  players  and 
the  coach  who  has  been  working  with  the 
players  during  the  year. 

2.  At  the  tournament  this  year  the  ex- 
penses of  all  of  the  teams  from  out-of-town 
will  be  paid  for  during  the  full  period  of  the 
tournament.  This  will  include  a  meal  on 
Tuesday  night  when  the  teams  begin  to 
arrive  in  town,  and  Wednesday,  Thursday, 
Friday,  and  Saturday.  It  will  also  include 
a  meal  on  Sunday  morning  before  the  teams 
leave  to  go  back  to  their  homes.  Until  the 
present,  the  expenses  have  been  paid  until 
the  teams  have  lost  two  games  and  been 
eliminated  from  the  tournament.  So  come 
prepared  to  stay  for  the  full  tournament, 
fellows,  and  if  you  should  lose  then  stay 
and  enjoy  the  rest  of  the  games  anyway. 
The  expense  will  be  paid. 

3.  Something  extraordinary  is  being  plan- 
ned for  all  of  the  teams  at  some  point  dur- 
ing the  tournament,  a  get-together  of  some 
kind. 

So  do  your  best,  M  Men  everywhere. 
We  are  planning  on  the  greatest  tourna- 
ment in  M  Men  history  for  next  March, 
in  Salt  Lake  City. 


-O"*- 


* 


Katie   C.   Jensen,   chairman;    Freda  Jensen,    Grace 

Nixon     Stewart,     Helena     W.     Larson,      Florence 
B.   Pinnock. 

'T'he  project  of  Treasures  of  Truth  is 
A    certainly     developing     dozens     of 


treasure  books  full  of  priceless  stories, 
pictures,  music,  and  poetry.  Making 
them  is  helping  to  carry  out  the  Mutual- 
wide  project  of  love  and  service,  for 
how  better  may  we  serve  our  neighbor, 
our  children,  our  grandchildren-to-be 
than  to  give  them  in  attractive  and  read- 
able form,  true  incidents  which  will 
awaken  or  strengthen  their  testimonies 
in  this  wonderful  Gospel!  What  a 
priceless  heritage  will  be  our  testi- 
monies, our  experiences,  and  those  of 
our  ancestors  years  from  now  when  we 
are  gone.  There  is  so  much  fine  tradi- 
tion in  the  Church  that  should  be  kept 
alive  by  the  Gleaner  Girls. 

The  three  nights  designated  for  this 
project  during  the  year  should  motivate 
the  work,  but  girls  who  do  much  with 
their  books  will  have  to  spend  time  out- 
side of  the  class.  Their  joy  and  that  of 
those  who  read  their  book  will  more 
than  compensate  for  any  time  they 
spend.  One  group  of  Gleaners  liked 
the  project  so  well  when  it  was  intro- 
duced several  years  ago  that  they  de- 
cided to  meet  at  one  another's  homes, 
alternate  Monday  nights,  to  work  on 
their  books  and  have  a  good  time  to- 
gether. This  group,  although  past 
Gleaner  age  now,  is  still  meeting  and 
working.  Can  you  imagine  how  lovely 
their  books  are? 

Just  begin  and  you  will  never  stop, 
and  who  knows  the  hidden  talent  as  a 
poet,  artist,  or  writer  of  music  that  may 
be  uncovered. 

The  following  is  an  original  contribu- 
(Continued  on  page  752) 


IFrank  W.  McGhle,  chairman;  Dr.  Franklin  S. 
Harris,  Homer  C.  Warner,  Floyed  G.  Eyre, 
Werner  Kiepe,  Dr.  Wayne  B.  Hales,  Alma  H. 
Pettegrew. 

"D  asketball  is  in  the  air  already.  Al- 
JJ  though  colleges  and  high  schools 
throughout  the  country  are  engaged  in 
working  off  their  football  schedules, 
and  that  great  national  game  holds  the 
interest  of  most  athletic  fans,  the  M 
Men,  nevertheless,  are  making  plans 
and  even  beginning  their  basketball 
schedules  in  some  places.  This  present 
year  should  prove  to  be  a  banner  year 
for  the  largest  athletic  league  in  all  the 
world.  New  features  have  been  passed 
on  by  the  General  Board  of  M.  I.  A. 
which  undoubtedly  will  make  for  keener 
competition  than  ever  before.  The 
teams  in  every  section  will  be  more 
anxious  than  ever  before  to  come  to  the 
All-Church  finals  held  in  Salt  Lake  City 
because  of  these  innovations. 

M   Men,   everywhere,   take   careful 
siotice  of  these  recommendations  of  the 


1.  Queen  and  attendants  of  Gold  and  Green  Ball 
held   in  Alhambra  Ward,  Pasadena  Stake. 

2.  Members  of  the  cast  of  a  musical  playlet  pro- 
duced at  the  May  Festival  in  Prague,  written 
and  directed  by  members  of  the  Y.  W.  M.  I.  A. 


Story  telling  group   of  Second   Ward,    Parowan 
Stake. 

Cast    of    opera    "Chimes    of    Normandy,"    pre- 
sented   by   the   Alpine    Stake. 


751 


THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA,  DECEMBER,  1938 


Mutual  Messages 

( Continued  from  page  75 1 ) 
tion  from  the  book  of  Elsie  Standring 
Collier,  and  we  would  like  you  to  enjoy 
it,  too.  If  you  like  it  as  much  as  we 
have,  you  might  want  to  place  a  copy 
of  it  in  your  own  book. 
WHAT  THE  GOSPEL  MEANS  TO  ME 

The  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day 
Saints  to  me  means  a  "bank  that  never 
fails."  I  am  guaranteed  health,  wealth,  and 
happiness  for  my  dividends.  Whatever  I 
put  into  this  bank  will  always  be  mine,  I 
alone  can  cause  it  to  depreciate. 

I  put  in  habits  for  good  health,  such  as 
moderate  exercise,  abstinence  from  tea, 
coffee,  tobacco,  and  harmful  foods,  a  cheer- 
ful outlook  on  life,  restful  sleep,  and  I  take 
out  vitality,  beauty,  and  a  fit  receptacle 
for  my  spirit. 

I  put  in  hours  of  study  of  good  works, 
participation  in  Church  activities,  and  con- 
structive use  of  my  leisure  time,  and  I  take 
out  respect  of  my  fellowmen,  ability  to 
impart  truth  and  to  develop  my  talents  and 
to  help  others  to  enrich  their  lives,  and 
knowledge  which  I  can  eternally  build  upon. 

I  put  in  payment  of  tithing,  fast  offer- 
ings, and  donations  and  take  out  thrift 
habits,  appreciation  for  what  I  have,  and 
the  joy  of  knowing  that  I  am  helping  some- 
one in  need,  and  that  I  am  helping  to  bear 
my  share  of  expense  for  places  to  worship 
and  play  in. 

I  put  in  prayer,  faith,  and  repentance, 
and  take  out  the  right  to  be  administered 
to  by  the  healing  power  of  the  Priesthood, 
the  opportunity  to  express  my  thankfulness, 
and  courage  to  face  problems  in  life. 

I  put  in  time  seeking  genealogy,  in  doing 
temple  work,  and  take  out  the  joy  of  know- 
ing that  I  will  have  kinship  with  those  I 
love  in  the  next  world,  and  that  I  have  been 
the  means  of  opening  the  way  for  their 
redemption. 

Lastly,  I  put  in  kind  words,  good  deeds, 
enthusiasm  and  thoughtfulness,  and  take 
out  friendship  and  the  "greatest  thing  in 
the  world" — love. 


/"^ratifying  responses  are  being  re- 
ceived  from  all  over  the  Church 
in  connection  with  the  plan  to  have 
M  Men  and  Gleaners  meet  together  for 
joint  work.  Here  are  a  few  reactions 
from  various  localities  where  the  pro- 
gram as  recommended  by  the  General 
Boards  has  been  followed: 

Since  meeting  jointly,  our  M  Men  and 
Gleaner  classes  have  grown  rapidly  in  num- 
bers. We  have  a  large  number  of  young 
married  men  coming  out  with  their  wives 
to  the  classes.  Until  the  program  was  made 
a  joint  affair  we  never  could  get  these 
young  couples  to  come  out  to  Mutual.  The 
interest  in  class  work  by  the  mixed  groups 
is  just  a  joy. 

We  were  very  skeptical  about  trying  out 
joint  work  as  recommended,  but  we  shall 
have  to  admit  that  it  is  working  wonders 
in  this  stake.  The  classes  are  becoming  so 
large,  however,  that  we  are  seriously  con- 
sidering having  the  classes  meet  in  sections. 
The  only  thing  we  are  afraid  of,  if  we  do 
this,  is  that  we  will  not  be  able  to  obtain 
as  fine  teachers  as  we  already  have.  Any- 
way, we  want  you  to  know  that  your  pro- 
gram works  in  this  stake,  and  we  doubt  if 
we  could  make  a  success  of  separate  class 
752 


work  if  that  should  ever  be  a  part  of  your 
plan  again. 

Your  joint  plan  is  working  fine  in  the 
wards  of  this  stake  where  it  is  being  tried. 
Two  wards  have  not  been  convinced  that 
it  is  a  good  thing  yet.  The  attendance  is 
much  better  where  the  leaders  are  in  favor 
of  the  plan  and  they  meet  together 
as  you  suggest.  Our  chief  difficulty  now  is 
getting  the  mixed  groups  to  go  home  when 
Mutual  is  over.  They  want  to  stay  and 
have  a  dance  every  night  after  Mutual. 
They  really  want  to  be  together  more  than 
we  intended.  What  shall  we  do  about  that 
problem? 

When  we  first  started  out,  this  year,  we 
had  a  fine  group  of  Gleaner  Girls  and  very 
few  M  Men.  So  the  Gleaner  leader  sug- 
gested that  the  girls  take  it  upon  themselves 
to  get  a  group  of  M  Men  to  meet  with. 
Each  one  promised  to  bring  an  M  Man  to 
Mutual  the  next  week.  They  did.  Well, 
we  have  the  largest  classes  of  M  Men  and 
Gleaners  that  we  have  ever  had.  In  fact 
our  enrollment  is  400%  greater  than  it  has 
ever  been. 

Thanks  to  the  field.  We  were  sure 
it  would  work.  More  power  to  you 
in  your  work. 


%2 


umiou 


Marba  C.  Josephson,  chairman;  Lucile  T.  Buehner, 
Emily  H.   Bennett,   Angelyn   Warnick. 

■XXZe're  entering  the  gayest,  brightest, 
vv  and  most  shining  season  of  the 
year — December,  the  Christmas  month. 
Let's  tell  each  other  the  story  of  the 
Christmas  Star,  that  shone  so  brightly 
over  the  lowliest  of  mangers  and  the 
newest  of  babies.  Why  do  you  sup- 
pose a  Star  was  chosen  to  guide  both 
wise  men  and  shepherds?  Did  it  repre- 
sent the  lovely  "white  light  of  truth?" 

Perhaps  Junior  Girls  would  like  to 
be  reminded  that  pure  light,  the  "white 
light  of  truth,"  is  just  the  right  propor- 
tion and  complete  blending  of  all  the 
colors  of  the  spectrum — from  infra  red 
to  ultra  violet.  It  includes  all  the  lovely 
Christmas  colors  that  stand  in  our  minds 
for  fine  ideals — faith,  courage,  hope, 
love,  growth.  What  does  red  stand 
for?  What  does  green  mean  to  us? 
Why  not  make  the  light  of  the  Christ- 
mas Star  inspiring  to  our  Juniors? 

We  can  learn  other  fine  things  from 
Christmas — 

For  one  thing,  we  can  learn  to  unify 
— to  "tie  up"  our  bundles.  When  we 
go  shopping  at  Christmas,  we  find  our 
arms  full — a  necktie  from  this  counter, 
hose  from  another,  handkerchiefs  or 
perfume  in  another  package,  and  if  we 
do  not  actually  drop  or  lose  some  of 
our  precious  load,  we  are  worried  and 
harrassed  over  the  scattered  responsi- 
bilities. If  we  are  wise,  we'll  tie  them 
all  up  together,  or  put  them  all  in  one 
basket!  In  other  words,  we'll  unify 
them,  which  makes  them  easier  to  carry, 
even  though  their  weight  and  number 
remain  the  same. 

Let's  "tie  up"  our  Christmas  Junior 
bundles.  For  our  cord  we'll  use  a  good 
strong,  glowing  testimony  and  for  our 
wrapping  paper,  the  Gospel  plan,  all 
sprinkled  with  twinkling  stars. 


First,  we'll  begin  with  our  lesson 
bundle,  December's  lessons  bring  us 
"home  for  Christmas."  They  start  back 
on  the  first  bright  road  on  the  world's 
history,  where  we  walk  with  Adam  in 
the  light  of  the  Gospel  and  we  end 
right  in  front  of  our  own  hearthside, 
figuratively  speaking.  Our  Christmas 
lessons  tell  the  sublime  story  of  our 
own  boy  Prophet,  our  own  dispensa- 
tion, our  own  day,  and  our  own  special 
opportunities.  Let's  make  this  restora- 
tion a  lovely  Christmas  Gift  for  our 
Junior  Girls. 

Then  let's  take  My  Story — let's 
wrap  it  up  in  our  month's  Christmas 
package  by  filling  it  full  of  personal 
experiences  relating  to  the  Gospel  plan 
— follow  the  ideas  at  the  end  of  each 
lesson,  and  suggest — for  that  little  touch 
of  Christmas  sparkle — that  the  book 
itself  would  make  a  charming  Christ- 
mas Gift.  In  this  connection  beautiful 
covers  have  been  made  by  many  of  our 
groups.  Some  are  of  wood,  in  the  form 
of  boxes,  roomy  enough  to  hold  all  the 
thick  and  well-filled  leaves  inside. 

Next  consider  the  theme  "By  love 
serve  one  another"  and  our  theme  pro- 
ject "love  and  service  in  the  home." 
Wrap  that  idea  up  with  the  Gospel 
plan  and  see  what  an  effective  and  spir- 
ited Christmas  package  it  becomes. 
Can  we  do  something  this  year  with 
our  idea  that  we  are  all  one  family, 
children  of  God  our  Father,  and  that 
His  kingdom  is  our  home?  Work  on 
it  for  Christmas. 

And  then,  the  reading  course  book. 
How  about  Junior  Girls  getting  to- 
gether and  buying  a  copy  for  their  class 
as  a  Christmas  Gift,  or  for  their  mothers 
— or  mothers  for  their  Junior  daughters. 
It's  a  fine  idea  and  a  fine  book  and  it 
ties  up  beautifully  with  our  Gospel 
ideals  and  our  Christmas  spirit. 

Then  for  our  last  bundle,  let's  have 
our  Junior-Explorer  Dance — a  very 
gracious,  young,  merry  sort  of  party 
growing  out  of  our  dance  instruction, 
and  joint  plans  for  the  year.  Let's 
have  it  very  carefully  wrapped  up  with 
our  fine  L.  D.  S.  standards.  Let  it  be 
very  much  a  part  of  our  month's  bundle, 
but  also  let's  have  it  so  sparkling  with 
fun  that  the  light  of  Christmas  will  live 
all  year  in  Junior  hearts.  And  may  this 
year's  Christmas  Star  shine  radiantly 
for  all  of  you! 


Ethe!  S.  Anderson,  chairman;  Margaret  N.  Wells, 
Bertha  K.  Tingey,  Ileen  Ann  Waspe,  Lucy  T. 
Andersen,    Caroline   Adams. 

"Dee-Hive  girls  care  for  children  of 
*"*  mothers  attending  October  Con- 
ference! Saturday  and  Sunday  were 
outstanding  days  for  some  of  the  Bee- 
Hive  Girls  in  the  Salt  Lake  City  Stakes. 
For  two  busy,  noisy,  happy  days  they 
applied  in  their  lives  the  Bee-Hive 
Theme  Project,  "I  will  taste  the  sweet- 
ness of  service  through  neighborly  acts 
for  children."    Rooms  in  the  Assembly 


THE     IMPROVEMENT     ERA,     DECEMBER,     1938 


Hall  were  converted  into  a  nursery.  In 
one  place  children  were  gay  as  the 
girls  helped  them  to  build  castles  and 
roads  in  the  sand  piles;  in  another,  chil- 
dren climbed  and  gleefully  swept  down 
the  slide.  There  were  also  several  in- 
terested groups  surrounding  the  girls 
as  they  told  stories,  sang  songs,  and 
played  games.  Relieved  mothers  call- 
ing for  their  children  at  the  end  of  the 
afternoon  expressed  their  appreciation 
of  this  unusual  service. 

This  is  one  way  our  girls  found  to 
apply  the  theme  project.  What  are 
you  doing  in  your  ward  or  stake  to 
stimulate  your  girls  to  make  the  pro- 
ject a  part  of  their  lives?  Christmas  is 
such  an  appropriate  month  to  render 
service.  The  spirit  of  the  season  is  one 
of  giving.  Also  the  three  ranks  are 
all  working  in  the  Field  of  Public  Ser- 
vice and  the  project  adapts  itself  best 
to  that  field.  Have  your  girls  make 
gifts  and  toys  for  a  child,  or  organize 
a  story-telling  festival  for  the  children 
using  Bible  Stories  or  stories  of  Christ- 
mas in  other  lands.  Have  you  thought 
of  having  your  swarm  present  a  Christ- 
mas play  for  children?  Suggest  daily 
good  turns  that  might  be  done  for  chil- 
dren in  the  home  or  neighborhood. 
These  might  include: 
1 .  Relieving  mother  or  neighbor  by  tending 

smaller  children: 

a.  Telling  stories. 


b.  Singing  songs, 

c.  Finger  Plays. 

d.  Games. 

e.  Making  toys. 

2.  Offering   to   tend  a   tired    child   who   is 
bothering  a  mother  in  Church. 

3.  Being    kind   to   children   and    refraining 
from  teasing  them. 

The  Bee-Hive  Committee  would  like 
you  to  make  a  report  to  them  of  ways 
and  number  of  times  that  your  girls 
have  rendered  service  to  children. 

Your  Bee-Hive  work  is  now  well 
under  way.  You  should  have  complet- 
ed the  work  and  awarded  foundation 
cells  and  structural  cells  in  the  fields  of 
Out-of-Doors  and  Religion.  If  you 
adopted  the  suggestions  of  the  com- 
mittee, all  Builders  are  now  using  the 
new  handbook.  Encourage  each  girl 
to  get  her  book  and  band  while  she  is 
a  Builder.  The  Gatherers  should  be 
happily  working  in  the  old  book  to  com- 
plete the  work  they  started  last  year. 
They  should  use  this  handbook  en- 
tirely and  not  use  any  parts  of  the  new 
book  because  that  causes  confusion. 
The  Guardians  are  working  under  the 
plan  as  contained  in  the  new  book. 
The  girls  should  each  have  a  set  of 
sheets  containing  the  foundation  and 
structural  Bee-Lines  which  may  be 
purchased  from  the  office  for  two  cents. 

We  hope  that  your  girls  have  access 
to  and  are  enjoying  the  Bee-Hive  Read- 


ing Course  Book,  Little  Soldier  of  the 
Plains. 

As  we  enter  the  holiday  season  the 
Bee-Hive  Committee  wishes  to  extend 
to  you  and  your  girls  our  greetings  and 
kindest  wishes. 


D,   E.   Hammond,   chairman;   Philo  T.  Farnsworth. 
Arthur   E.    Peterson. 

Asa  part  of  a  Church-wide  campaign 
to  acknowledge  and  recognize  the 
efficient  types  of  leadership  which  have 
in  the  past  years  contributed  to  the 
unparalleled  record  of  the  Church  in 
Scouting,  there  is  published  here  the 
first  pictures  of  a  series  of  men  who 
have  received  the  highest  award  within 
the  power  of  local  councils  to  grant — 
the  Silver  Beaver.  This  award  is  made 
by  the  National  Council  upon  recom- 
mendation of  Local  Councils  for  "out- 
standing service  to  boyhood." 

In  the  campaign  now  being  carried 
on  throughout  the  Church  to  attract 
every  possible  boy  and  young  man  to 
the  Scout  and  Explorer  programs,  Silver 
Beaver  Scouters  will  be,  in  many  cases, 
the  key  men. 

Pictures  of  other  groups  of  Silver 
Beaver  Scouters  will  be  published  in 
future  issues  of  the  Era. 


MEN  WHO  HAVE  HELPED  MAKE  L.  D.  S.  SCOUTING  OUTSTANDING 

Top  row,  left  to  right:  S.  M.  Nielsen,  former  president  North  Sanpete  Stake,  Mt.  Pleasant,  Utah;  David  Smith,  President  North  Idaho  Falls  Stake;  Henry 
A.  Gardner,  President  Palmyra  Stake,  Spanish  Fork,  Utah  and  President  Utah  National  Parks  Council,  B.  S.  A.,  Provo,  Utah;  Dr.  Ray  J.  Davis,  President  Tendoy 
(Pocatello,  Idaho)  Council;  John  W.  Condie,  State  Superintendent  Public  Instruction,  Boise,  Idaho;  Bishop  W.  L.  Kilpack,  Idaho  Falls  First  Ward;  Dr.  J.  W. 
West,  Field  Commissioner,  Teton  Peaks  Council;  J.  W.  Kirkbride,  former  President  Cache  Valley  Council,  Supt.  of  Cache  County  Schools,  Logan,  Utah.  Second  row, 
left  to  right:  Jesse  Evans,  Explorer  Commissioner,  Rexburg  (Idaho)  Stake;  Chester  Thomas,  Scout  Commissioner,  Oquirrh  Stake,  Magna,  Utah;  Dr.  L.  D. 
Pfoutz,  Chairman  of  Camping,  Utah  National  Parks  Council;  Lloyd  A.  Davis,  Stake  Group  Chairman,  Shelley  (Idaho)  Stake;  W.  E.  Nelson,  Stake  Group 
Chairman,  Wells  Stake,  Salt  Lake  Council;  Lyle  E.  Ranck,  Stake  Scout  Commissioner,  Bonneville  Stake,  Salt  Lake  Council;  Henry  K.  Abischer,  Explorer  Leader, 
Logan  5th  Ward;  Phil  Hurst,  Stake  Group  Chairman,  San  Juan   (Utah)  Stake.  Photo  Courtesy  Deseret  News. 


753 


THE     IMPROVEMENT     ERA,     DECEMBER,     1938 


THE  STORY  OF  OUR  HYMNS 


(Concluded  [com  page  725) 
horizon.  The  true  Gospel  was  re- 
stored, and  in  1830  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints 
was  organized.  The  unrest,  doubt, 
uncertainty  of  the  religious  world 
were  the  birth  pains  of  the  old  re- 
ligion born  again. 

It  was  during  this  befuddled  period 
that  John  Henry  Newman  on  June 
16,  1833,  wrote  his  immortal  hymn 
while  the  orange  boat  in  which  he 
took  passage  was  becalmed  on  the 
open  sea.  The  hymn  was  the 
outcome  of  a  mind  tortured  with 
doubt.  The  first  stanza  is  a  longing 
for  home — a  cry  in  the  night — a 
prayer  for  light. 

That  last  line,  "One  step  enough 
for  me,"  recalls  an  incident  in  the 
life  of  the  father  of  the  Prophet 
Joseph  Smith.  He  was  in  serious 
trouble  in  Kirtland  and  could  not  see 
his  way  out  of  his  difficulties.  One 
night  he  dreamed  that  his  path  was 
obstructed  by  a  huge  wall.  In  de- 
spair, he  was  about  to  give  up  when 
he  heard  a  voice  saying  "Take  one 
step."  He  took  the  step  and  the 
wall  moved  a  little.  He  took  another 
and  the  wall  receded  another  step. 
One  step  at  a  time  he  advanced  until 
he  was  in  the  open  and  the  way  made 
clear.  That  dream  was  experienced 
long  before  "Lead,  Kindly  Light" 
was  written. 


The  second  stanza  is  a  plea  for 
forgiveness,  a  confession  of  a  self- 
centered  and  pride-ruled  life. 

I  loved  the  garish  day,  and,  spite  of  fears, 
Pride    ruled  my  will:    remember  not  past 
years. 

This  is  an  admission  of  past 
wrongs,  but  a  confidence  that  God 
will  forgive  the  penitent  and  blot 
out  their  remembrance;  a  verse  that 
has  helped  and  comforted  many  a 
struggling  Christian. 

The  third  stanza  is  a  note  of  as- 
surance that  the  power  that  has 
guided  him  will  still  lead  him  over 
the  troubled  waters  till  night  is  gone. 
The  last  two  lines, 

And  with  the  morn  those  angel  faces  smile, 
Which   I   have  loved  long   since,  and  lost 
awhile 

have  caused  considerable  speculation 
as  to  their  meaning.  Newman,  when 
asked  what  these  two  lines  meant, 
said  he  "was  not  bound  to  remember 
his  meaning  at  the  end  of  almost 
fifty  years."  Some  believe  it  refer- 
red to  his  guardian  angels,  which, 
during  his  dark  days  he  felt  he  had 
lost  for  awhile. 

In  the  Parliament  of  Religion,  held 
in  Chicago  in  1893,  there  were  two 
things  found  on  which  the  represen- 
tatives of  every  creed  could  agree. 
One  was  "the  Lord's  Prayer,"  and 
the  other  "Lead,  Kindly  Light." 

This  hymn  is  not  included  in  Lat- 


ter-day Saint  Hymns,  but  is  found 
in  Deseret  Sunday  School  Songs.  As 
it  is  used  by  all  Christendom,  so, 
also,  it  is  often  sung  in  our  congre- 
gations. 

The  Tune  and  Its  Composer 

A^ore  than  thirty  years  elapsed 
after  Dr.  Newman  wrote  his 
hymn  before  it  was  put  to  music  by 
Dr,  John  B.  Dykes.  In  the  interim 
it  was  treasured  in  various  publica- 
tions on  account  of  its  rare  lyric  and 
poetic  beauty.  However,  it  did  not 
secure  its  high  place  in  hymnology 
until  it  was  joined  to  Dr.  Dykes' 
tune.  One  writer  called  it  a  "perfect 
marriage  of  hymn  and  tune" — Dr. 
Newman  himself,  said:  "It  is  not 
the  hymn  but  the  tune  that  has  gain- 
ed the  popularity.  The  tune  is 
Dykes',  and  Dykes  is  a  great 
master." 

Dr.  John  B.  Dykes  was  born  at 
Hull,  England,  March  10,  1 823.  He 
began  his  musical  career  as  director 
of  the  Cambridge  Musical  Society. 
He  was  the  author  of  three  hundred 
hymns;  and  it  was  the  custom  of  the 
family  to  spend  Sunday  evenings 
trying  over  his  tunes  for  approval  or 
criticism.  From  1849  to  1862  the 
composer  was  Dean  of  Durham 
Cathedral.  In  1862  he  became  vicar 
of  St.  Oswald's  Church  in  Durham, 
and  remained  there  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  on  January  22,  1876. 


THE  CHURCH  IN  NEW  YORK  CITY 


{Continued  from  page  730) 
Their  roots  go  deep  in  time.  Neither 
winning  nor  holding  a  soul  in  the  city 
of  New  York  has  proved  an  easy 
task.  The  groundwork  was  laid  by 
the  missionaries.  The  indomitable 
Parley  P.  Pratt  opened  the  mission 
in  this  city  one  hundred  and  one 
years  ago.  From  that  day  to  this, 
with  the  exception  of  occasional 
lapses,  the  missionaries  have  con- 
stantly preached  "unto  the  City  of 
New  York"- — warning  the  people 
"of  the  desolation  and  utter  abolish- 
ment which  await  them  if  they  do 
reject  these  things."  In  the  main, 
they  have  found  the  city  as  Elder 
Pratt  described  it — "of  all  places,  in 
which  the  English  language  is 
spoken,  the  most  difficult  of  access 
to  the  minds  and  attention  of  the 
people." 

Nearly  thirty  years  ago,  Ben  E. 
Rich  as  president  of  the  mission 
instituted  the  practice-  of  installing 
local  Saints  in  important  branch  po- 
754 


sitions,  thus  not  only  strengthening 
the  branches,  but  also  releasing  the 
missionaries  for  other  duties.  In 
line  with  this  policy,  James  S. 
Knecht,  now  patriarch  of  the  New 
York  Stake  and  member  of  the  High 
Council,  but  then  a  new  and  faithful 
convert  from  Pennsylvania,  was  ap- 
pointed president  of  the  Brooklyn 
Branch.  Later  Dr.  Harvey  Fletcher 
was  made  president  of  Manhattan 
Branch,  and  for  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, these  two  stalwart  leaders,  with 
others,  have  gathered,  organized, 
preached,  taught,  advised,  married, 
baptized,  buried,  and  blessed  the 
Saints,  and  otherwise  administered 
to  their  material  an<d  spiritual  needs. 
During  all  this  time,  they  have  been 
richly  blessed  and  have  had  a  great 
influence  with  the  people.  Since 
coming  to  New  York,  President 
Fletcher  has  gained  world-wide  re- 
nown as  a  scientist,  having  been  hon- 
ored by  engineering,  physical,  and 
scientific    societies,    and    appointed 


Director  of  Physical  Research  of  the 
Bell  Telephone  Laboratories.  His 
faith  in  the  Gospel  has  been  a  great 
testimony  to  many  scholars  and 
young  scientists,  who  have  at  times 
found  difficulty  in  harmonizing 
science  and  religion. 

No  less  faithful  have  been  many 
others  of  the  Saints  in  this  far  east- 
ern outpost.  The  high  council  is  a 
tower  of  strength.  Every  member 
has  performed  outstanding  Church 
work.  Jointly  they  have  rendered 
approximately  two  hundred  and 
three  years  of  Church  service  in  the 
East,  exclusive  of  their  labors  in 
other  stakes. 

The  auxiliaries,  genealogical  so- 
cieties, and  Priesthood  quorums  are 
also  capably  manned.  Sunday  after 
Sunday  for  more  than  twenty  years. 
Dr.  Howard  R.  Driggs,  a  member  of 
the  General  Board  of  Deseret  Sun- 
day School  Union  (and  also  a 
former  president  of  the  Manhattan 
Branch),    has    carried    the    Sunday 


THE     IMPROVEMENT    ERA,    DECEMBER,     1938 


EVIDENCES  AND  RECONCILIATIONS 


[Concluded  from  page  713) 


is  measured  as  accurately  as  possible,  and  the 
average  change  produced  in  say  one  year,  is  com- 
pared with  the  total  effect  produced  by  that  process 
during  the  interval  that  has  elapsed  since  its  com- 
mencement. ( See  Arthur  Holmes,  The  Age  of  the 
Earth,  p.  29. ) 

The  earliest  method  of  estimating  geological 
time  was  to  discover  the  maximum  thickness  of  the 
stratified  formations  in  the  earth's  crust  and  to 
determine  the  amount  of  sediment  carried  annually 
into  the  ocean.  Geological  study  indicates  that  the 
thickness  of  the  earth's  stratified  formations  is  at 
least  360,000  feet  (Holmes,  p.  79),  and  that  the 
annual  discharge  of  sediments  into  the  ocean  is 
such  as  to  require  millions  of  years  for  the  deposition 
of  the  strata  in  question.  It  is  admitted  that  this 
method  can  indicate  only  long  periods  of  time,  and 
not  definite  measurements  in  years. 

A  somewhat  more  satisfactory  method  deals  with 
the  salt  in  ocean  water.  It  is  assumed  that  the 
first  ocean  water  was  fresh.  The  sodium  chloride 
or  salt  that  it  now  contains  has  been  dissolved  from 
the  sediments  brought  down  into  the  ocean  by  the 
rwers.  The  water  has  been  evaporated  and  con- 
densed into  rain  over  and  over  again,  but  the  salt 
which  is  not  volatile  has  remained  to  increase  the 
saltiness  of  the  ocean.  Estimates  have  been  made 
of  the  annual  discharge  in  the  rivers  of  earth,  their 
load  of  materials,  and  the  probable  amount  of  salt 
in  the  water  and  the  sediments.  Similar  estimates 
have  been  made  of  the  amount  of  salt  in  the  ocean. 
Then  by  simply  dividing  the  annual  addition  of 
salt  into  the  total  amount  of  salt  in  the  oceans,  the 
number  of  years  of  the  accumulation  is  obtained. 
By  this  method,  acknowledged  to  be  subject  to  many 
corrections,  salt  has  been  added  to  the  oceans  for 
a  period  of  about  330  million  years.  According  to 
this  calculation,  the  earth  must  be  at  least  that  old. 

The  discovery  of  radioactivity  and  the  element 
radium,  furnished  an  unexpectedly  accurate  geo- 


logical hour-glass  that  has  been  used  in  estimating 
the  age  of  the  earth. 

The  element  uranium  is  radioactive.  That  is, 
it  emits  spontaneously,  continuously,  and  uniform- 
ly various  radiations.  As  it  does  so  it  is  degraded, 
passing  from  one  form  to  another,  including  radium, 
until  the  final  residue  is  lead.  That  is,  there  is  a 
life-limit  to  uranium,  radium,  and  several  other  ele- 
ments. Methods  have  been  developed  by  which 
the  rate  of  this  degradation  may  be  measured  ac- 
curately. The  amount  of  lead,  or  radium  in  asso- 
ciation with  uranium  will  then  point  to  the  length 
of  time  since  the  uranium  was  formed. 

It  has  been  found  that  the  age  of  uranium,  de- 
termined as  above  suggested,  is  lowest  in  the  more 
recent  rocks  and  highest  in  the  oldest  rocks.  This 
is  a  confirmation  of  much  previous  geological  work 
on  the  relative  ages  of  rock  deposits.  The  age  of 
the  oldest  rock  approaches,  by  this  method,  2,000 
million  years.  The  earth  must  then,  by  this  form 
of  study,  be  at  least  that  old. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that  studies  by  modern  meth- 
ods of  the  age  of  the  solar  system  have  yielded 
similar  results,  that  is,  about  2,000  million  years. 
It  is  a  most  interesting  chapter  in  modern  explora- 
tion. ( See,  The  Age  of  the  Earth,  Arthur  Holmes, 
1937;  also  F.  J.  Pack,  Science  and  Belief  in  God.) 
Those  who  hold  to  the  long-time  age  of  the  earth 
point  out  that  present  scientific  data  indicate  "an 
epoch  of  creation,"  2,000  million  years  ago. 


Every  person  must  decide  for  himself,  on  the 
basis  of  the  evidence  produced,  which  of  these 
three  opinions  as  to  the  age  of  the  earth,  before 
Adam,  seems  most  reasonable  to  him,  whether  ( 1  ) 
six  days,  or  (2)  six  thousand  years,  or  (3)  many 
millions  of  years.  Clearly  it  does  not  matter  to  one's 
daily  welfare  or  salvation  which  view  he  adopts, 
except  that  every  Latter-day  Saint  must  seek  and 
cherish  truth  above  all  else. — /.  A.  W. 


THE  CHURCH  IN  NEW  YORK  CITY 


School  banner  in  this  great  city,  hu- 
manizing the  Gospel,  teaching  its 
heauty,  and  teaching  teachers  how 
to  teach  it.  A  newly-organized 
Church  Welfare  group  is  struggling 
with  the  staggering  responsibility  of 
administering  to  the  material  wants 
of  needy  families.  The  magnitude 
of  their  task  will  be  partially  visual- 
ized, when  it  is  realized  that  the  cost 
of  rent  alone  in  this  congested  city 
is  ten  times  the  monthly  average 
administered  to  needy  cases  in  the 
West,  and  that  practically  one  hun- 
dred per  cent  of  the  family  food 
supply  must  be  purchased  from  gro- 
cery stores,  garden  projects  being 
difficult.  A  full-time  Church  em- 
ployment office  has  been  established, 
which  has  found  some  three  hundred 


jobs  for  unemployed  members  dur- 
ing the  past  eighteen  months. 

The  stake  missionary  group  has 
accepted  its  calling,  its  activities  in- 
creasing rapidly.  On  a  Wednes- 
day afternoon,  facing  the  former 
home  of  the  New  York  Tribune,  and 
across  the  square  from  a  statue  of 
Horace  Greeley,  its  famous  former 
editor  whose  just  and  potent  pen 
turned  American  public  opinion 
against  "Buchanan's  Blunder"  and 
stayed  Albert  Sidney  Johnson's 
sword,  one  may  find  the  president 
of  the  New  York  Stake  Mission  pro- 
claiming the  Gospel  to  a  curious  and 
skeptical,  but  attentive,  crowd. 

The  New  York  Stake  pays  an 
excellent  tithing,  is  ahead  of  the 
Church    average    in    attendance    at 


Sacrament  meetings,  fast  offerings, 
and  Priesthood  activities,  and  fin- 
ished fourth  in  the  latest  Era  cam- 
paign. 

Found  within  a  day's  drive  of  the 
city  are  many  of  the  eventful  scenes 
connected  with  the  birth  and  early 
history  of  the  Church.  Occasional 
pilgrimages  are  made  to  such  sites 
as  the  Prophet's  birthplace,  Har- 
mony, Hill  Cumorah,  and  the  Sacred 
Grove.  A  reminder  of  one  of  these 
early  Church  incidents  recently  oc- 
curred, when  Columbia  University 
conferred  an  honorary  degree  on 
President  Fletcher.  By  a  strange 
coincidence,  he  was  seated  under  a 
large  oil  painting  of  Charles  Anthon, 
who  will  be  remembered  as  the 
(Concluded  on  page  756) 
755 


THE     IMPROVEMENT     ERA,     DECEMBER,     1938 


The  Church  in  New  York 

(Concluded  from  page  755) 
learned  Columbia  professor  who 
first  gave  and  then  withdrew  from 
Martin  Harris  a  certificate  addressed 
to  the  people  of  Palmyra,  certifying 
that  the  ancient  characters  displayed 
to  him  were  authentic,  and  that  their 
translation  was  correct.  "Politics," 
we  are  told,  "make  strange  bed- 
fellows," No  less  strange  are  the 
associations  wrought  by  time.  Could 
there  be  a  stranger  picture  than  that 
of  a  Mormon  Elder  receiving  an 
honorary  degree  from  Columbia 
University,  in  company  with  a  cab- 
inet officer,  a  Federal  judge,  two 
college  presidents,  a  Catholic  bishop, 
and  an  Episcopalian  prelate,  under 
the  shades  of  Professor  Anthon? 

Time  has  slowly  but  certainly 
tempered  the  hatred  held  in  the 
hearts  of  men  for  all  things  Mor- 
mon; enlightenment  is  eliminating 
prejudice,  and  members  of  the 
Church  are  being  judged  dispassion- 
ately for  what  they  are.  The  radio 
programs  of  the  Salt  Lake  Choir, 
the  broadcasting  of  the  conferences, 
the  commendable  newspaper  articles 
concerning  our  Welfare  program, 
the  work  of  the  Bureau  of  Informa- 
tion on  Temple  Square,  and  the 
ever-growing  popularity  in  the  press 
of  President  Grant,  are  effective 
contributing  factors  to  this  favorable 
result. 

To  say  that  our  organization  in 
New  York  has  made  any  mass  im- 
pression on  this  city  with  its  twenty- 
five  hundred  churches  and  six  mil- 
lion inhabitants  divided  among  fifty 
sects,  would  doubtless  be  an  exag- 
geration of  the  facts;  nevertheless, 
each  member  has  his  individual 
friends;  and  thousands  of  people  in 
the  East,  in  all  walks  of  life,  think 
better  of  the  Church  because  of  their 
intimate  acquaintance  with  one  or 
more  of  its  resident  members. 

Life  in  the  East  has  not  dimmed 
but  rather  greatly  strengthened  the 
testimony  of  the  active  members  of 
the  stake.  A  close  view  of  the 
world's  wisdom,  works,  and  follies, 
forms  a  background,  against  which 
the  Mormon  mode  of  living  stands 
out  in  sharp  relief.  This  mode  of 
living,  developed  in  the  West,  has 
proved  its  validity  in  the  urban  East, 
thus  demonstrating  its  universality. 

Commonplace  Things 

( Concluded  from  page  73 1 ) 
along.    Oh!  that  was  great  fun.    We  would 
play  with  Rover,  your  dog,  as  he  ran  along 
behind  the  wagon. 

The  crickets  would  be  singing,  and  your 
dad    whistling    some    old-fashioned    song. 

756 


Darkness  would  almost  swallow  us,  then 
we  would  drop  off  to  sleep.  The  next  thing 
we  knew  we  would  be  home.  Home,  supper, 
a  warm  bath  and  cool  sheets. 

There  was  more  to  her  letter.  She 
asked  questions  about  games  of  "Run 
Sheep  Run,"  and  how  all  the  small 
town  romances  had  ended. 

What  a  fool  I'd  been.  What  a 
blind  little  fool. 

"Aren't  you  ever  going  to  bed?" 
It  was  Thressa  McDonald's  voice 
coming  from  the  top  of  the  stairs, 
"We  are  leaving  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  I  think  the  modern  Emer- 
son and  Hawthorne  should  get  a  lit- 
tle rest  before  she  goes." 

"I'm  not  going,"  I  choked  out. 

"Not  going!" 

"Not  for  a  while,  Thressa.  I  have 
some  writing  I  just  have  to  do." 

"But  I  thought — " 

"I  know,  but  I've  changed  my 
mind  about  this  inspiration  stuff  and 
I'm  going  to  write  a  story — a  real 
story.  It  will  be  my  masterpiece 
and  I'm  going  to  call  it  'Common- 
place Things.'  " 

I  can't  remember  whether  I  ex- 
pected Thressa  McDonald  to  be 
provoked,  disappointed,  or  just  an- 
gry, but  I  do  remember  that  when  I 
climbed  the  stairs  to  where  she  stood, 
she  was  smiling  an  understanding 

smile. 

.  ♦  . 

On  the  Street  Called 
Straight 

( Concluded  from  page  722 ) 

vinced.  This  time  he  throws  in,  for 
good  measure,  the  life  of  his  newly- 
born  son,  his  own  life,  his  eyes,  his 
hands  and  his  feet,  as  a  wager,  and 
will  let  us  have  it  for  four  and  one- 
half  units  as  the  last  price.  We  still 
are  not  convinced,  but  to  finish  the 
argument  we  go  up  half  a  unit  and 
our  offer  stands  at  three  and  one- 
half. 

"Why,  this  is  unheard  of.  I 
never  lost  so  much  on  any  deal." 

He  shows  us  other  bars  and  will 
gladly  let  us  have  them  for  the  price 
we  offer,  but  he  says  that  they  are 
inferior  in  quality,  because  the  bar 
in  question  is  the  acme  of  quality. 

At  last,  his  friend,  who  up  to  this 
time  has  been  silent,  comes  in  be- 
tween us  and  tries  to  mediate.  He 
finds  that  our  difference  is  half  a 
unit.  That  is,  if  we  go  up  that 
amount  and  the  store-keeper  comes 
down  half  a  unit,  we  will  have  the 
same  amount.  So  he  asks  the  pro- 
prietor for  his  (that  is,  the  medi- 
ator's) sake,  to  come  down  half  a 
unit  and  asks  us  to  go  up  half  a 
unit.  (It  is  all  a  "put-up"  job.)  We 


both  agree  and  the  bar  of  soap 
transfers  ownership,  so  also  do  the 
four  units  of  money.  As  we  leave 
the  store,  we  pledge  our  eternal 
friendship,  invite  him  to  our  house, 
because  henceforth  we  are  broth- 
ers, and  he  does  the  same. 

Actually  I  bought  several  bars  at 
a  higher  price  than  a  native  would, 
of  course.  But  it  is  fascinating  to 
buy  oriental  style.  If  the  amount  in 
question  is  larger,  the  time  consum- 
ed is  proportionately  longer.  Goods 
which,  say,  cost  ten  dollars  in  Unit- 
ed States  money,  would  take  a  full 
forenoon  to  buy  in  the  oriental  style. 
But  many  foreigners  come,  and,  not 
knowing  the  custom  of  the  coun- 
try, give  what  is  asked  of  them, 
blissfully  ignorant  of  the  fact  that 
they  paid  sometimes  as  high  as 
three  or  four  times  the  amount  for 
which  they  could  have  purchased 
the  article. 

Of  course,  mention  of  the  fact 
that  the  customs  and  habits  are  the 
same  as  they  were  at  the  time  of 
Father  Abraham,  suggests  that  the 
beliefs  are  also  the  same,  which 
brings  us  to  the  preaching  of  the 
Gospel.  It  is  extremely  difficult.  The 
first  thing  they  will  tell  you  is  that 
what  was  good  enough  for  their 
ancestors  is  good  enough  for  them. 
And  fortunate  you  are  indeed  if  you 
can  shake  that  belief.  Another  dif- 
ficulty arises  from  the  fact  that  the 
people  here  have  been  crushed  so 
hard  during  and  since  the  World 
War,  that  their  sole  endeavor  now 
is  to  eke  out  a  meager  existence.  If 
they  do  that,  they  consider  them- 
selves fortunate. 

Here  is  an  example.  A  sister  who 
is  a  member  of  our  Church  has  a 
husband,  a  non-member,  who  is  a 
polisher  of  furniture.  He  works 
fourteen  hours  a  day,  for  which  he 
receives  the  equivalent  of  40  cents 
a  day  in  United  States  money.  Out 
of  that  amount  he  has  to  feed  six 
mouths,  pay  rent,  buy  clothing,  and 
pay  school  tuition.  (The  schools- 
are  not  free  here.)  You  talk  relig- 
ion to  that  man  and  see  what  an- 
swer you  get.  His  foremost  thought 
is  how  to  stretch  that  forty  cents 
to  pay  for  the  necessities  of  life. 

And  so  it  goes.  Of  course,  there 
are  the  rich  here  as  well.  But  as  the 
Savior  hinted,  it  is  a  difficult  matter 
to  interest  the  rich,  not  only  here 
but  anywhere.  I  have  had  several 
opportunities  to  show  the  lecture 
slides,  pertaining  to  our  Church,  to 
purely  non-member  audiences,  and 
have  had  countless  interesting  con- 
versations. The  seed,  at  least,  is  be- 
ing sown. 


THE     IMPROVEMENT    ERA,     DECEMBER,     1938 


The  Protestors  of 
Christendom 

{Continued  from  page  724) 
itself  against  church  authority.  To 
agree  with  Huss  was  to  overthrow 
all  law  and  order.  Gerson  wrote: 
"The  most  dangerous  error,  destruc- 
tive of  all  political  order  and  quiet, 
is  this — that  one  predestined  to  dam- 
nation or  living  in  mortal  sin,  has 
no  rule,  jurisdiction,  or  power  over 
others  in  a  Christian  people.  Against 
such  an  error  it  seems  to  my  humil- 
ity that  all  power,  spiritual  and  tem- 
poral, ought  to  rise  and  exterminate 
it  by  fire  and  sword  rather  than  by 
curious  reasoning."17 

On  November  28,  Huss  was 
seized  and  taken  before  the  pope  and 
the  cardinals.  At  this  first  hearing, 
he  said:  "I  came  of  my  own  accord 
to  this  council,  and  if  it  be  proved 
that  I  have  erred  in  anything  I  am 
willing  humbly  to  be  corrected  and 
amend."38  At  four  o'clock  he  was 
again  taken  before  the  cardinals  and 
articles  of  accusation  were  read. 
"They  accused  Huss  of  ( 1 )  teaching 
the  necessity  of  receiving  the  Eu- 
charist under  both  kinds  and  of  at- 
tacking transubstantiation;  (2)  of 
making  the  validity  of  the  sacra- 
ments depend  on  the  moral  charac- 
ter of  the  priest;  (3)  of  erroneous 
doctrine  concerning  the  nature  of 
the  church,  its  possessions,  its  disci- 
pline, and  its  organization."  Huss 
was  held  in  custody  for  eight  days 
in  Constance  and  then  taken  to  a 
dark,  narrow,  damp  dungeon  close 
to  the  mouth  of  a  sewer  in  the  Con- 
vent of  the  Dominicans  on  a  small 
island  in  the  lake. 

John  XXIII  (December  4)  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  take  testi- 
mony against  Huss.  Huss  asked  for 
counsel,  but  it  was  contrary  to  the 
law  of  the  church  for  anyone  to  de- 
fend another  suspected  of  heresy. 

On  March  24,  the  bishop  of  Con- 
stance had  Huss  chained  and  taken 
to  the  castle  of  Gottlieben  in  the  lake. 
During  the  day  Huss  was  permitted 
to  walk  about  in  chains,  but  at  night 
he  was  handcuffed  and  securely 
fastened  to  the  wall.  Here  Huss 
suffered  from  toothache,  headache, 
hemorrhage,  and  bad  digestion.  At 
the  beginning  of  June,  Huss  was 
taken  to  a  friary  in  Constance  to  be 
within  more  convenient  reach  and 
hearings  were  held  from  June  5-8. 

"On  June  15,  the  council  took  the 
far-reaching   action    forbidding   the 

17In  Creighton,  Papacy  During  the  Reformation,  vol. 
1,  p.  334. 

18Articles  of  Michael  de  Causis,  Palacky,  Docu- 
menta,  199,  in  Creighton,  Papacy  During  the  Re[or~ 
nation,   p.   336. 


giving  of  the  cup  to  laymen.  This 
action  Huss  condemned  as  wicked- 
ness and  madness,  on  the  ground 
that  it  was  a  virtual  condemnation  of 
Christ's  example  and  command.  .  . 
He  saw  indisputable  proof  [therein] 
that  the  council  was  fallible."18 

t-Juss  was  finally  permitted  to  ap- 
pear before  the  council.  In  some 
particulars  he  was  accused  of  hold- 
ing doctrines  he  had  not  taught: 
"The  first  accusation  was  that  Huss 
denied  the  doctrine  of  transubstan- 
tiation. This  he  could  declare  with 
truth,  to  be  a  false  charge.  Cardinal 
d'Ailly,  however  .  .  .  engaged  in 
an  argument  to  show  that  Huss 
ought,  according  to  his  principles,  to 
deny  that  doctrine.  .  .  ."20 

Huss's  case  was  largely  judged  in 
advance.  When  he  appeared  be- 
fore the  council,  he  was  asked  if  he 
acknowledged  certain  writings  as 
his,  and  when  he  began  to  defend  an 
article  from  one  of  them  that  had 
been  read,  and  "cited  many  passages 
from  scripture,  .  .  .  they  exclaimed 
that  all  this  was  nothing  to  the  point. 
Whenever  he  began  to  speak  he  was 
interrupted  and  not  allowed  to  utter 
a  syllable.  ...  At  length  when 
Huss  saw  it  was  no  use,  that  he 
could  not  be  heard,  he  determined 
to  remain  silent.  This  silence  was 
now  interpreted  as  a  confession  that 
he  was  convicted."21 

Of  the  three  popes,  the  council 
persuaded  the  Roman  pope  to  re- 
sign and  deposed  the  other  two. 
John  XXIII,  before  his  deposition, 
fled  from  Constance,  was  brought 
back  and  imprisoned  in  the  castle 
of  Gottlieben  for  a  short  time  only, 
and  then  given  a  high  position  of 
honor.  Huss  writes  in  a  letter: 
"Now  you  may  understand  what  the 
life  of  the  clergy  is  who  say  they 
are  true  representatives  of  Christ 
and  His  Apostles,  who  call  them- 
selves the  most  holy  church,  the  most 
infallible  council;  and  yet  this  same 

19Schaff,   History   of   the   Christian   Church,    vol.   5, 
II,  p.  379. 

20Neander,  Church  History,  vol.  IX,  II,  p.  496. 
21Neander,   Church  History,  vol.   IX,  II,  p.   495. 


|    CHRISTMAS... 
I    GIFT.... 


i 


i 


To  those  who  are  away 
and  to  those  who  are 
home 

Give  an  ERA  i 

subscription 

See  coupon  page  705 


i— Jl  II  It  II  II 


council  has  been  in  error;  it  has  first 
honored  John  the  Twenty-third  with 
bowed  knee,  and  called  him  most 
holy,  while  yet  they  knew  that  he 
was  a  shameful  murderer,  and  guilty 
of  other  crimes  besides,  as  they  af- 
terwards declared  when  they  con- 
demned him."22  In  another  letter,  he 
writes,  "Wherefore  did  they  kneel 
before  the  pope — kiss  his  feet,  and 
call  him  most  holy  father,  when  they 
knew  him  to  be  guilty  of  a  most 
atrocious  crime?  Wherefore  did  the 
cardinals  choose  for  a  pope,  one  who 
was    the    murderer    of    his    prede- 

Though  the  council  had  accused 
John  XXIII  of  nearly  all  possible 
crimes,  yet  was  he  not  guilty  of 
taking  his  own  conscience  as  guide 
in  religious  matters — he  was  not  con- 
sidered dangerous.  An  apostate 
church  knew  no  means  of  reconcil- 
ing the  conflicting  positions  of  the 
council  and  of  Huss;  and  d'Ailly 
presented  the  demands  of  the  coun- 
cil to  Huss,  "First  that  thou  humbly 
declarest  that  thou  didst  err  in  those 
articles  that  have  been  produced 
against  thee;  next,  that  thou  prom- 
isest  on  thy  oath,  neither  to  hold  nor 
to  teach  such  opinions  any  longer; 
thirdly,  that  thou  dost  publicly  re- 
cant all  those  articles."  Had  Huss 
promised  this,  he  would  not  have 
been  set  free,  but  imprisoned  for 
life.  However,  Huss  replied,  "I  re- 
peat, that  I  am  ready  to  be  instructed 
by  the  council;  but  I  beseech  and 
conjure  you  by  Him  who  is  the  God 
of  us  all,  that  you  do  not  force  me 
to  what  I  cannot  do  without  contra- 
dicting my  conscience."23 

On  July  6,  Huss  was  conducted 
to  the  cathedral  to  hear  sentence 
pronounced  upon  him.  After  listen- 
ing to  a  sermon  and  the  forbidding 
of  any  demonstration  on  pain  of  ex- 
communication, Huss  heard  the  sen- 
tence read  condemning  him  as  a 
"real  and  open  heretic,"  "the  disciple 
not  of  Christ  but  of  John  Wyclif," 
and  ordering  him  to  be  degraded 
from  the  priestly  order.  Six  bishops 
then  took  off  his  priestly  vestments, 
put  a  cap  on  his  head  with  pictures 
of  the  devil  and  commended  his  soul 
to  the  devil.  He  was  then  turned 
over  to  the  civil  power  for  fitting 
punishment:  a  guard  was  on  hand 
to  take  Huss  outside  the  city  to  be 
burned.  He  was  chained  by  the 
neck  to  a  stake  and  straw  and  wood 
were  piled  around  his  body  to  the 
chin  and  sprinkled  with  rosin,  and 
he  was  again  asked  if  he  would  re- 
cant. As  the  flames  arose,  he  sang, 
(Concluded  on  page  758) 

22In   Neander,  Church  History,  vol.  IX,  II,  p.   526. 
23In   Neander,  Church  History,  vol.  IX,  II,   p.  513. 

757 


THE     IMPROVEMENT     ERA,     DECEMBER,     1938 


PROTESTORS   OF    CHRISTENDOM 


(Concluded  /rom  page  757) 
but  the  wind  blew  the  fire  into  his 
face,  and  his  voice  was  stilled. 

His  ashes  were  thrown  into  the 
Rhine  so  that  nothing  might  remain 
of  him.  The  pagans  had  disposed 
of  the  ashes  of  Polycarp  in  the  same 
manner. 

No  member  of  the  Council  of 
Constance  is  known  to  have  ever 
protested  against  his  sentence.  No 
pope  or  council  has  ever  expressed 
regret  for  it. 

Before  the  time  of  Constantine  the 
Great,  the  church  could  excommuni- 
cate members  and,  with  the  consent 
of  the  disputants,  could  arbitrate 
disputes.  It  was  Constantine  who 
gave  the  church  the  power  to  try 
cases  and  to  have  decisions  enforced 
without  the  consent  of  the  parties 
involved.24        Heiner     states     also: 

"In  order  to  attain  this  ( eternal  sal- 
vation), it  (the  Church)  may  toler- 

^Heiner,  Katholischces  Kirchenrecht,  vol.  II,  p.  7. 

ill  kit   ,1,,       , 


ate  nothing  which  contradicts  divine 
commands  of  its  own.  The  faithful 
should  obey  these  ( commands )  vol- 
untarily, but  the  Church  can  not  al- 
ways rely  on  the  good  will  of  her 
members.  .  .  .  She  has  need  there- 
fore not  only  of  means  of  a  purely 
spiritual  nature,  but  also  of  external 
means  of  compulsion.  .  ,  .  The 
lawgiving  and  judicial  power  would 
without  the  power  to  compel  ( die 
zwingende    Mache)    have   no    val- 


ue. 


"Whoever  has  the  power  to  set  up 
legal  standards,  to  him  belongs  also 
the  faculty  of  assuring  the  observ- 
ance of  the  same  and  of  compelling 
obedience  to  all  of  the  commands 
and  prohibitions,  which  are  requisite 
for  the  safe-guarding  of  the  rights 
of  the  individual  and  of  public  order 
and  which  are  taken  in  order  to 
uphold  ( sichern )  Christian  prin- 
ciples as  the  basis  of  the  life  of 
Christian  society;  to  this  end  he  must 
be  able  to  break  the  rebellious  will 

""'Heiner,   Katholisches  Kirchenrecht.   vol.   2,   p.    77. 


by  means  of  external  [physical] 
punishment.  The  legislative  power 
[conferred  on  the  Church  by 
Christ]  includes  therefore  in  itself 
the  judging  and  punishing  power.'" 

When  practiced,  as  in  the  case  of 
Huss,  such  a  theory  tends  to  destroy 
all  ethical  life.  It  makes  hypocrites 
of  those  who  conform  and  destroys 
those  who  do  not.  The  medieval 
church  apparently  knew  no  solution 
of  the  problem  presented  by  the  con- 
flict of  authority,  claimed  by  the 
council,  and  the  liberty  of  the  in- 
dividual conscience.  What  shall  we 
think  of  the  inspiration  of  the  council 
that  condemned  a  man  to  be  burned 
whose  only  offense  was  obedience  to 
a  sensitive  conscience?  True,  the 
Council  of  Constance  was  held  four 
hundred  years  ago,  but  an  inspired 
Church  was  in  possession  of  the 
solution  nearly  fifteen  centuries  be- 
fore that,  and  a  restored  Church  was 
to  have  it  again. 

^Heiner.   Katholisches   Kirchenrecht,   vol.    II,    p.    7. 


BRITAIN    LOOKS   AT    THE   MORMONS 


(Concluded  from  page  719) 
volves  great  risks,  but  men  who  take  them 
add  greatly  to  our  knowledge. 

•  *  • 

The  Mormons 

Utah,  perhaps,  will  remain  more  firmly  in 
history  as  the  scene  of  slow  journey  rather 
than  a  347-miles-an-hour  car  dash.  That 
was  nearly  a  hundred  years  ago,  when  the 
Mormons  dragged  their  heavily-loaded 
wagons  across  wide  prairies  and  rugged 
mountains  into  the  valley  of  the  Great  Salt 
Lake. 

The  faith  of  the  Mormons,  which  began 
in  ridicule,  now  stands  in  dignity  and  re- 
spect. They  have  created  a  worthy  and 
useful  institution  whose  members  do  good 
by  teaching  and  by  the  example  of  their 
upright  lives. 

Chades  of  the  past!  Such  candid 
praise  and  utterly  open-minded 
comment  would  cause  much  turning- 
over  in  graves  that  were  closed  a 
century  ago.  But  the  visits  to  Utah  of 
such  men  as  Sir  Malcolm  Campbell, 
John  Cobb,  and  Captain  George 
Eyston,  and  the  visits  to  Great  Brit- 
ain of  such  men  as  President  Heber 
J.  Grant,  and  the  various  presidents 
of  the  British  and  European  missions, 
and  generations  of  physically  fit, 
mentally-alert,  clean-living  Mormon 
missionaries  have  broken  down  the 
19th  Century  superstition  and  have 
cleaned  up  the  disgusting  slander 
and  libel  and  widespread  miscon- 
ception among  the  uninformed. 

Two  days  after  the  Daily  Express 
comment  referred  to  above,  Caval- 
cade, the  British  News-magazine, 
under  date  of  August  27, 1938,  under 
"Religion"  ran  a  two-column  story 
758 


topped  by  a  two  column  picture  of 
"Mormon  Baseballers — Champs  of 
British     Baseball     League"     which 
account  read: 
"Keep   Fit"   Mormons:     Claim   Ten   tvill 

Convert  Ten  Thousand  More 
"Give  me  some  men  who  are  stout-hearted 
men, 
Who  will  fight  for  the  right  they  adore. 
Start  me  with  ten,  who  are  stout-hearted 
men, 

And    I'll    soon    give    you    ten    thousand 
more." 

So  sing  Mormons  all  over  the  world,  and 
at  the  present  moment  there  are  in  England 
sixteen  athletic  young  men  from  Salt  Lake 
City  (Utah)  who  are  giving  the  words  a 
real  meaning. 
Ambitious  Programme 

Scattered  over  England  there  are  more 
than  6,000  members  of  the  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,  which  is  full  title 
of  the  Mormon  religion.  Immediate  aim 
of  the  sixteen  young  missionaries  is  to  in- 
crease this  number  by  16,000,  and  in  this 
aim  they  are  being  considerably  aided  by 
the  Government's  "Keep  Fit"  campaign. 

For  physical  fitness  is  part  of  the  Mor- 
mon religion.  No  true  Mormon  would 
dream  of  smoking,  touching  any  form  of 
alcohol,  and  in  consequence  they  are  the 
fittest  and  one  of  the  most  vital  religious 
groups  in  the  world. 
Baseball  Champs 

In  this  country  they  run  a  baseball  team 
which  topped  British  Baseball  League  table 
last  season.  In  the  North  the  fame  of  this 
team  of  young  Mormons,  styled  Rochdale 
Greys,  spread  to  such  an  extent  that  their 
matches  were  often  watched  by  crowds  of 
5,000  people. 

At  basket-ball  their  prowess  is  almost 
legendary.  That  is  why  they  have  been 
called  to  help  with  Lord  Aberdare's  "keep 
fit"  movement. 

Sixteen  young  Americans  have  been  in- 
vited by  the  Norwich  authorities  to  coach 


the  Norwich  Youth  Movement  in  the  game, 
help  to  form  teams  in  the  district.  Result: 
by  day  they  are  basketball  coaches,  by  night 
travel  around  the  district  holding  meetings, 
preaching,  organizing  community  hymn- 
singing. 

Besides  these  sixteen  young  men  there 
are  Mormon  missionaries  all  over  England,, 
preaching  their  creed  of  brotherly  love  and 
Anglo-American  friendship,  slating  exces- 
sive alcohol  consumption. 

For  the  purpose  of  their  campaign  they 
have  divided  England  into  fourteen  districts, 
subdivided  these  districts  into  seventy-two 
branches,  each  branch  being  plentifully  sup- 
plied with  missionaries. 
Success 

This  methodical  campaign  has  proved 
extremely  successful.  Each  year  has  seen 
a  steady  growth  in  the  numbers  of  Mor- 
mons in  this  country.  Since  they  arrived 
in  this  country  one  hundred  years  ago  they 
have  had  to  fight  against  blind  prejudice 
brought  about  by  untrue  stories  circulated 
about  the  polygamous  inclinations  of  the 
Mormons. 

Everywhere  they  went  they  were  met  with 
sly  winks,  jibes  about  their  "boat-loads"  of 
wives.  In  the  years  that  have  passed  they 
have  succeeded  in  living  down  this  calumny 
to  such  effect  that  85,000  English  Mormons 
have  emigrated,  set  up  in  Salt  Lake  City, 
spiritual  home  of  the  world's  800,000  Mor- 
mons, actual  home  of  700,000  true  believers. 

Hopeful  for  the  future  of  the  Church  of 
Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  in  this 
country  is  the  American  organiser  of  Eng- 
land's Mormons,  modest,  drawling  Hugh  B. 
Brown." 

Thus  it  is  that  Britain  looks  at  the 
Mormons — and  the  Mormons  at  the 
British — in  their  country  and  in  ours, 
and  both  find  cause  for  a  growing  re- 
spect and  increased  understanding  in 
a  relationship  that  has  now  persisted 
more  than  a  century. 


THE     IMPROVEMENT     ERA,     DECEMBER,     1938 


THE  RETURN  OF  SOLOMON  CROSLEY 


(Continued  from  page  721) 

He  turned  his  eyes  away  at  last. 
The  spring  was  his — and  the  pas- 
ture. The  law  had  said  so,  and 
there  was  none  to  prove  it  false. 
To  be  sure  Turner  had  insisted 
that  Solomon's  father,  affectionate- 
ly known  as  Old  Man  Crosley,  had 
given  half-rights  to  the  spring  and 
all  the  pasture;  but  the  letter  was 
lost — if  there  ever  had  been  one. 

Then  had  come  that  unforget- 
table March  day  when  Molly,  go- 
ing to  the  garret  for  quilt  pieces, 
had  found  the  yellow  faded  "copy' 
in  the  old  cowhide  trunk.  He  could 
see  it  now — frayed  at  the  edges,  the 
fine  writing  of  a  bye-gone  day,  al- 
most obliterated  by  time. 

"A  copy  of  my  letter  to  Carter 
Turner. 

"I,  James  Crosley,  do  will  one- 
half  the  rights  to  Granite  ledge 
spring  and  appurtenances,  thereof, 
to  you,  Carter  Turner,  and  your 
descendants,  together  with  the  hill 
pasture  and  two  yearling  ewes." 

There  had  been  more,  but  he  had 
not  stopped  to  read.  He  had  torn 
the  document  from  Molly's  fingers, 
ripped  it  into  a  thousand  fragments 
and  fed  it  to  the  hungry  flames. 
Molly  had  stood  like  a  woman  of 
stone, — faith  and  trust  slowly  dy- 
ing in  her  eyes. 

Then  spring  had  come  again,  and 
with  it  the  terrible  disease  that  slew 
the  innocent  on  every  side.  Turn- 
er's child  had  recovered — a  cripple, 
but  not  hopeless,  if  treated  skilfully 
in  time.  To  his  own  little  Carol 
there  had  come  no  such  reprieve. 
The  little  dancing  feet  were  stilled 
forever. 

It  was  then  he  had  broken  faith 
with  God  and  man.  It  was  then  he 
had  fenced  off  the  spring  and  turn- 
ed the  brook  from  its  ancient  chan- 
nel, so  that  no  overflow  could  find 
its  way  to  Turner's  parching  fields. 
Many  looked  to  see  the  "Wrath  of 
God,"  poured  out  upon  his  boun- 
teous acres.  Little  did  they  know 
that  the  searing  flames  of  hate  and 
anger,  and  the  cankerworm  of 
greed  and  envy  were  consuming 
the  very  fibres  of  his  soul. 

Jri E  turned  at  last  into  the 
canyon  road.  Sagebrush  and  cedar 
dappled  the  low  hills  that  rolled  up 
to  meet  the  ledges.  Below  roared 
Rainbow  Falls.  Solomon  knew 
what  cruel  javelins  hid  beneath  that 
false  promise.  He  had  seen  the  body 
of  an  Indian  guide  two  hours  after 
his  fateful  step,  all  resemblance  to 
human  form  obliterated. 


He  stopped  the  horses,  un- 
harnessed them  and  gave  them 
grain,  then  set  swiftly  to  cutting 
down  a  dozen  dead  and  dying  pines 
and  cedars.  One  little,  green  spruce 
he  placed  carefully  in  the  wagon. 
He  had  yet  to  lie  to  a  child. 

At  last  he  had  enough  down, 
ready  for  the  horses  to  drag  to  the 
wagon  where  he  could  lop  off  the 
branches  and  load  with  little  effort. 
Black  Bess  and  Major  came  will- 
ingly at  his  call,  and  he  soon  had 
the  work  well  under  way.  He  fas- 


tened the  mare's  tugs  to  the  last 
tree — a  giant  cedar  whose  dead 
branches,  growing  from  one  gnarl- 
ed side,  rose  like  tentacles  in  the 
air.  Bess  gave  one  pull;  the  tree 
whirled  like  a  top.  Solomon  went 
down  under  the  impact  of  the 
slashing  limbs,  rolled,  caught  fran- 
tically at  the  empty  air  and  drop- 
ped down  into  the  spreading  green 
boughs  of  a  juniper  tree  that  grew 
out  and  up  from  the  granite  ledge. 
For  a  moment  he  lay  there  stun- 

(Continued  on  page  760) 


CO  IT  PER  MILE 


PEP  88 

WINTER    GASOLINE 


759 


THE     IMPROVEMENT     ERA,     DECEMBER,     1938 


HOTEL  LAN KER SHIM 


7th  &  BROADWAY 


LOS  ANGELES 

'TWO  PERSONS      -     ONE  CHARGE" 


WE  orrER  . . . 

A  COMPLETE 
ENGRAVING  SERVICE 

From  Missionary  portraits  to  the  largest 

catalogues 

Mail  Orders  Given  Prompt  Attention. 

UTAH  ENGRAVING  CO. 

113  Regent  St.  Salt  Lake   City,   Utah 


THE  ADVERTISERS 

and  Where  You  Will  Find 

Their  Messages 

Beesley  Music  Co. ._ 762 

Beneficial  Life  Insurance  Co 

—Back  Cover 

Brigham  Young  University 765 

Continental  Oil  Company 765 

Corn   Products,    Inc 709 

Deseret  Book  Co 741,  767 

Deseret  News  Press 766 

Eastman  Kodak  Stores 708 

Ford  Motor  Company 707 

Glade  Candy  Co 764 

Globe  Mills _ 739 

KSL  Radio  Station 

Inside   Back   Cover 

L.  D.  S.  Business  College.... 763 

Lankershim  Hotel  _ 760 

Mountain  Fuel  Supply  Co 761 

New  Grand  Hotel 762 

Ogden  School  of  Beauty 760 

Provo  School  of  Beauty 762 

Quish  School  of  Beauty..... 708 

Rudin,  John  &  Co.,  Inc 767 

Schoss-Read    Electric   Co 762 

Shell  Oil  Company _ 

Inside  Front  Cover. 

Standard  Brands,  Inc 765 

Sugarhouse  Lumber  Co 705 

Tee  Gee  Garment  Company 740 

Union  Pacific  Stages 708 

Utah  Engraving  Company 760 

Utah  Home  Fire  Insurance  Co 764 

Utah  Oil  Company  759 

Z.  C.  M.  I 710 


ENROLL     NOW 

(Commence  Later  if  Desired) 

$25.  Discount  on  a  Complete 

COURSE    IN    BEAUTY    CULTURE 
A  State  Accredited  School 

Ogden  School  of  Beauty  Culture 

Over  Egyptian  Theatre  OGDEN,    UTAH 

Name   _ - 

Address   City  State  

760 


THE  RETURN  OF  SOLOMON  CROSLEY 


(Continued  from  page  759) 

ned  and  half-crazed  with  fear. 
Then  slowly  and  cautiously,  he 
worked  his  way  in,  onto  the  shelf 
of  rock  where  he  lay  for  many  min- 
utes, too  exhausted  to  think. 

Why,  he  was  in  his  old  room  at 
home.  Someone  was  calling  his 
name. 

"Sol,  get  up  you  lazy  bones. 
Don't  you  know  it's  Christmas 
morning?" 

His  sister  Letty  was  standing  by 
his  bed;  his  brother  Tom  was  hold- 
ing something  shining  and  new  be- 
fore his  sleepy  eyes. 

"A  gun,  a  real  gun!"  he  shouted, 
reaching  for  it  with  eager  hands. 

His  hand  touched  only  the  cold 
bare  rocks.  He  closed  his  eyes  with 
a  shudder.  Then  with  shaking 
hands,  he  unfastened  his  belt  and 
buckled  his  left  arm  to  a  gnarled 
limb  of  the  old  tree. 

"Hello,  Daddy-dunky,"  a  little 
voice  called  down  at  him.  His  eyes 
flew  open  to  look  up  into  the  sweet 
face  of  his  own  little  Carol.  She  sat 
with  her  feet  hanging  over  the 
ledge — feet  in  worn-out  little  shoes, 
dusty  little  socks.  A  pink  gingham 
apron  was  tied  about  with  a  red  silk 
tie.  How  she  loved  bright  things! 
Her  sunbonnet  had  fallen  down 
behind  so  the  golden  blossoming  of 
curls  hung  over  her  shoulders  in  a 
silken  web.  Just  so  she  had  run  to 
meet  him  hundreds  of  times. 

"This  little  pig  has  come  out  to 
get  some  grass,"  she  laughed,  wrig- 
gling her  toes  until  one  bare  mem- 
ber poked  its  pink  tip  between  the 
ragged  edges  of  her  shoes.  She 
picked  up  a  handful  of  leaves  and 
pushed  them  into  the  gap.  The 
"pig"  responded  with  deep  grunts 
of  appreciation  and  shrill  squeals 
for  more.  He  laughed  aloud  until 
his  voice  re-echoed  from  the  gran- 
ite walls. 

She  leaned  toward  him,  one  fin- 
ger laid  upon  her  laughing  lips. 
"Sh!  did  you  get  the  dolls?" 

"Don't  come  so  close,  pet,"  he 
begged.  "Pa's  afraid  you  might 
fall." 

"But  the  dolls,"  she  insisted. 
"Two  dolls,  for  June  and  Minnie 
Turner.  I  want  them  this  long." 

She  held  her  hands  apart,  sur- 
veyed the  intervening  space  with 
a  critical  eye,  extended  them  again. 

"There,"  she  smiled,  "As  long  as 
that/' 

She  slipped  down  beside  him  in 
spite  of  his  protests.  "Now,  meas- 
ure," she  commanded 


He  held  up  his  free  arm  and  she 
"measured"  it  from  elbow  to  finger 
tips.  The  next  moment,  she  was 
dancing  on  the  bank  above,  kissing 
her  hand  to  him  as  she  flitted  out 
of  sight. 

He  looked  about  him.  Night  was 
coming  on.  The  sun  had  been  down 
for  half  an  hour,  and  his  legs  were 
growing  cold  and  numb. 

Summer?  Daisies?  The  fields 
were  full  of  them.  Molly  in  a  new 
print  dress  walked  with  him 
through  the  meadows. 

"You'll  forgive  me,  Molly,"  he 
begged,  catching  at  her  hand. 

"Oh,  I  do  forgive  you,  Sol;  I  al- 
ways will." 

JTlE  came  to  himself  with 
a  start.  It  was  almost  dark.  He 
thought  again  of  that  Christmas 
day  when  he  was  twelve.  A  gun! 
How  he  had  loved  to  tramp  the 
hills.  His  two  boys!  How  he  had 
robbed  them  of  their  heritage.  And 
Carol!  Had  she  come  to  save  him, 
too?  Molly — patient,  loving,  for- 
giving— was  it  now  too  late? 

"Oh,  Lord!"  he  prayed.  "Don't 
let  me  die  here  with  my  sins  upon 
me.  Give  me  another  chance.  Show 
me  the  way,  Oh,  Lord!  Show  me 
the  way!" 

Along  the  eastern  horizon  a  soft 
scud  of  clouds  was  closing  in.  A 
filmy  fragment  of  moon  slipped 
through  the  intervening  space.  The 
clouds  shifted  and  then — he  saw 
the  star!  There  it  hung,  still  and 
luminous  above  the  peaceful  valley. 
Beneath  it  lay  the  Turner  acres  and 
his  own.  Then  the  clouds  closed  in, 
and  hid  it  from  his  gaze. 

He  lay  for  a  long  time  thinking 
and  planning.  A  snowflake  fell 
upon  his  cheek — another  and  an- 
other. Then  something  coarse  like 
tasseled  rope  slipped  across  his 
wrist.  He  heard  an  impatient  nick- 
er above  him.  The  mare,  hearing 
his  half-delirious  laughter,  had 
come  in  dumb  inquiry  of  her  mas- 
ter's plight.  Though  she  had  the 
weight  of  the  cedar  behind  her,  she 
had  come. 

He  caught  the  dangling  halter 
rope  in  his  hands.  Cautiously  and 
with  excruciating  pain,  he  slowly 
drew  himself  to  his  feet.  With  a 
foothold  in  the  rocks  and  the  rope 
tied  under  his  arm  pits,  he  made 
his  way  up.  He  lay  for  a  while  ex- 
hausted and  shaken,  then  with 
greater  effort  rousing  himself,  stag- 
gered to  his  feet. 

After  endless  moments,  he  har~ 

Mention  the  "Era"  when  you  buy  these  goods  or  services. 


THE     IMPROVEMENT     ERA,     DECEMBER,     1938 


The  Return  of 
Solomon  Crosley 

nessed  the  team  and  climbed  into 
the  wagon,  but  not  before  a  second 
little  spruce  nestled  by  the  side  of 
the  one  under  the  seat.  The  horses 
turned  their  heads  willingly  home- 
ward, but  at  the  end  of  the  canyon 
road,  he  urged  them  into  the  high- 
way. 

And  so  it  was  that  over  an  hour 
later,  the  loafers  at  Pederson's  Em- 
porium were  startled  almost  out  of 
their  wits,  when  Solomon  Crosley 
walked  unsteadily  in.  Not  once  in 
four  years  had  he  crossed  that 
threshold.  Now  as  he  stood  there, 
white  and  haggard,  his  wet,  wind- 
tossed  hair  straggling  over  his 
weary  eyes,  he  was  a  sight  to 
frighten  anyone.  The  loafers  rose 
to  a  man  and  moved  discreetly  into 
the  background.  Jennie  Crane,  bal- 
ancing her  cash,  cringed  behind  the 
counter. 

Olaf  Pederson,  alone,  advanced 
apprehensively.  "He  iss  all  dere, 
poys;  noddings  to  vorry  apout,"  he 
beamed  at  the  silent  circle. 

Jennie,  reassured,  came  timidly 
forward.  "Is  there  anything  I  can 
do  for  you,  Solomon?" 

"Yes,  Jennie,  plenty  and  to 
spare,"  he  answered.  "But  first,  I 
want  Olaf  to  make  out  some  papers, 
givin'  John  Turner  back  his  pas- 
ture and  his  rights  to  Granite-Ledge 
Spring.  You're  a  Notary,  Olaf. 
Swear  in  two  of  these  men  when 
yer  ready.  Now  boys,  heave  to  it. 
To  every  man  who  helps  Jennie, 
I'll  give  ten  pounds  each — candy 
and  nuts,  with  a  dozen  oranges  to 
boot." 

An  orange  in  the  countryside  had 
not  yet  become  an  adjunct  to  the 
morning  meal.  It  was  a  name  to 
conjure  with,  a  fruit  of  the  gods. 
One  meant  a  Christmas  treat;  a 
dozen  gave  the  "Midas-touch!" 

The  men  rose  with  alacrity  and 
stood  attention  at  Jennie's  side. 

"And  now,  what?"  demanded 
Jennie,  "I've  got  to  have  instruc- 
tions." 

Solomon  looked  at  her  dumbly 
for  a  moment,  then  thankfully  re- 
membered Molly's  list  in  his  pocket 
and  gave  it  to  her.  Jennie  gave  her 
orders  like  a  general.  Such  a  scuf- 
fle of  feet,  crackling  of  paper,  pop- 
ping of  strings!  Such  a  weighing 
and  measuring  and  counting!  Such 
a  peeping  into  boxes  and  barrels  as 
they  flew  back   and   forth   at  her 

These  advertisers  merit  your  support. 


bidding.  Trumpets  tooted,  bells 
jingled,  drums  rolled! 

Sam  Jolly  chose  the  sweaters  and 
caps;  Jed  Mason  chose  the  shoes 
and  socks;  Bert  Cameron,  because 
he  had  worked  in  a  laundry,  chose 
the  shirts  and  ties;  Solomon,  en- 
tirely dominated  by  Jennie,  chose 
the  things  for  his  wife  and  daugh- 
ter. Stiff,  rheumatic  old  man  Beams, 
who  couldn't  work,  played  the  har- 
monica to  a  water-glass  accompani- 
ment. 

At  last  everything  was  sacked, 
boxed,  or  bundled  and  stowed 
away  in  the  wagon.  Somebody  no- 
ticed at  the  last  minute  there  were 
no  presents  for  the  Turner  babies 
and  another  general  scramble  en- 
sued. A  train,  a  wagon,  a  sack  of 
marbles  for  the  biggest;  ball  and 
blocks  and  woolly  bear  for  the  mid- 
dle-sized; an  assortment  of  rattles 
for  little  "Brand-new,"  restored  the 
equanimity  of  everyone. 

Someone  had  timed  the  finish  to 
a  second.  Solomon  opened  the  door 
to  find  the  team  harnessed,  the  pres- 
ents covered  with  the  horse  blank- 
ets, and  the  men  and  boys  perch- 
ed along  the  sides  of  the  wagon  box 

{Continued  on  page  762) 
~z&  oszT^p  °/^&-?  °ifj%>-jQ  r^S?"?  °/%&^  "S^Zj-fyCA 


mt 

To  those  who  are 
away  and  to  those 
who  are  home 


i 


I 


See  Coupon, 
Page  705 


& 


r^ 


o  irvs-/o  v^J/Wq  o^icVb  o^J^-zo  cr*2£So  <? 


HOW  TO  KEEP  A 
HUSBAND  HAPPIER 

"Oh,  boy!    This  is  the  lifel   No 
furnace  to  worry  about — no  fuel 
to   shovel— no  ashes   to  carry — 
no  clinkers  to  fish  out!     There's 
no    place    like    home — since   we 
installed  gas  heat!" 

HOW  TO  KEEP  YOUR 
FAMILY  HEALTHIER 

Children,    and    grown-ups    too, 
don't  catch  so  many  colds  due 
to       fluctuating       temperatures, 
when    the    home    is    kept    uni- 
formly   warm     with     automatic 
heat. 

HOW  TO  KEEP  YOUR 
HOUSE  CLEANER 

■ 

Smoke,    soot,    ashes   and    grime 
are  things  of  the  past  in  homes 
heated    with    gas.     It   saves    a 
lot  of  cleaning  labor — and  pro- 
longs the   life   of   home   furnish- 
ings. 

• 

i 

1 

JOIN  THE  SWING  TO 

[ 

AUTOMATIC 

Natural  Gas 

HEAT 

YOU  can  easily  have  this  mod- 
ern  heat   in   your    home    NOW. 
Remember,     gas    is    the    ONLY 
house-heating    fuel    that's    fully 
automatic.      Come   in  or  phone 
for  complete  details  on  the  eco- 
nomical operating  cost,   and  on 
prices  and  terms  for  installing  a 
new,    modern    gas    furnace    in 
your  home. 

I 

® 

MOUNTAIN  FUEL 
SUPPLY  COMPANY 

Salt  Lake — Ogden — Provo 
Serving  21  Utah  Communities 

761 


THE     IMPROVEMENT     ERA,     DECEMBER,     1938 


[music  ...       1 

1            ALL  OTHER   OCCASIONS            | 

I          Beesly  Music  Co.         | 

1            61   SOUTH  MAIN  STREET            | 

Let  me  do  your  IRONING  just 

One  Week!  Signed-Fred  Schoss. 

fro  Tint  fe 

Takes  you  off  your  feet 
ask  for  free  demonstra- 
tion 

SGHOSS-READ  ELECTRIC  CO. 

OGDEN  TREMONTON 


NEW  GRAND 


HOTEL- 


SALT  LAKE  CITY 


MlMWll— |l— II  )i- 


CHRISTMAS  .  .  . 

GIFT .... 

I 

To  those  who  are  away 
and  to  those  who  are 
home 

Give  an  ERA 

subscription 

See  coupon  page  705 

— +1  II  !!■■— ill  t|iiii»||.^— Hi  II"  i         H—  ■»       i    iHmiwH-J 


ATTEND 

Provo  School  of  Beauty  Culture 

The  School  Where  the  Promise  is  Kept 

11  East  1st  No.,  Provo.  Utah 

A  Life's  income  for  a  meager  investment 

Fill  in  coupon  ior  further 

information  or 

Phone  No.  2 


THE  RETURN  OF  SOLOMON  GROSLEY 


762 


(Continued  from  page  761 ) 

with  their  booty  between  their 
knees.  At  every  lane  and  corner 
the  wagon  stopped,  and  one  by  one 
they  scuttled  away  through  the 
snow  for  home  like  rabbits  running 
to  cover,  anxious  to  begin  the  dra- 
matic recital  of  the  night's  adven- 
tures, a  tale  that  would  lose  noth- 
ing in  the  telling. 

He  turned  into  the  Turner  gate 
at  last.  A  feeble  light  shining 
through  the  tiny  window  panes  as- 
sured him  that  the  family  were  still 
awake.  Quietly,  he  stacked  the  gifts 
beside  the  door,  went  to  the  win- 
dow and  looked  in.  A  boy  of  four- 
teen sat  on  an  old  settee  vigorously 
scouring  the  rusty  barrel  of  an  old 
gun.  The  father  sagged  forward  in 
his  chair,  his  long  arms  dangling 
lifelessly  between  his  knees.  At  the 
table  by  the  light  of  a  single  sput- 
tering candle,  the  mother  painted 
the  cheeks  of  a  big  rag  doll  with 
berry  iuice. 

Jolomon  turned  to  the 
pile  :  i  presents,  selected  a  long  box 
and  knocked  vigorously  on  the 
door.  Without  waiting  a  response, 
he  walked  in  upon  the  startled 
little  group.  Turner  arose,  mingled 
fear  and  defiance  on  his  pale, 
drawn  face. 

"John,  I've  brought  ya  back  yer 
land,  and  the  half  share  to  the 
spring,"  Solomon  said  hoarsely* 
laying  the  document  on  the  table. 
The  man  stood  staring  like  a  sleep- 
walker, unable  to  adjust  to  this  new 
thing. 

"Get  yer  wagon  greased  and  in 
shape,"  he  added.  "I'll  borrow  a 
team,  and  we'll  haul  over  yer  share 
of  the  hay  and  grain." 

He  then  turned  to  the  boy  and 
taking  the  old  musket  gently  from 
his  knees,  laid  the  box  in  its  place. 

"Here,  boy,  this  will  be  more  to 
yer  strength.    Dave  and  Jim'll  be 
wantin'  to  hunt  jack-rabbits  with 
ya  after  this  storm." 

The  woman  was  now  on  her 
knees  by  the  chair,  sobbing  and 
praying.  He  slipped  a  bit  of  pink 
paper — half  of  his  savings — be- 
tween her  clasped  hands  and  hur- 
ried from  the  room. 

He  was  scarcely  back  into  the 
wagon  when  Turner  ran  out  into 
the  yard  waving  the  check  and 
shouting,  "Take  back  this  money, 
Sol  Crosley.  The  deeds  are  enough. 
God  bless  you,  the  deeds  are 
enough." 

"Go  back  into  the  house,  John, 


or  you'll  catch  your  death.   You've 
been  a  fool  long  enough." 

The  horses  had  no  need  of  urg- 
ing now;  they  pushed  forward  rap- 
idly, only  too  anxious  to  reach  thf 
shelter  of  their  own  dry  stalls.  Solo 
mon  tied  the  reins  to  the  brake 
handle  and  humped  forward,  his 
head  bent  to  meet  the  wind.  Sud- 
denly he  felt  old  and  useless,  suck- 
ed dry  of  all  his  strength.  Though 
he  had  ridden  on  the  crest  of  the 
wave,  he  now  felt  only  the  back- 
wash of  his  emotions.  Doubts  and 
fears  assailed  him.  Would  his  own 
receive  him,  or  would  they  cast 
him  out? 

The  horses  turned  in  at  the  open 
gates.  The  light  from  the  kitchen 
window  called  him  from  his  stupor. 
Stopping  the  team,  he  hurried  for- 
ward, only  to  find  the  warm,  clean 
room  deserted.  He  looked  toward 
the  stables.  A  great  square  of  mel- 
low light  reached  out  across  the 
snow.  He  began  to  run,  stumbled 
and  fell,  and  got  up  again^  The 
second  time  he  was  too  weak  to 
rise,  but  crawled  through  the  slush 
and  mud  until  he  reached  the  great 
posts  by  the  door. 

Within,  a  strange  sight  met  his 
startled  gaze.  Molly,  her  face  alight 
with  some  high  purpose,  was  fold- 
ing blankets  for  the  saddle  bags 
that  hung  down  on  the  gray  mare. 
Jim,  hatted  and  coated,  was  down 
on  his  knees  splicing  the  saddle 
girth  with  leather  thongs.  Marty 
was  pouring  something  steaming 
and  hot  into  a  can  and  wrapping  it 
carefully  against  the  cold.  Dave, 
dressed  like  an  Eskimo,  was  al- 
ready astride  the  bay — grandfa- 
ther's ancient  musket  behind  his 
saddle  horn.  Little  Buddy,  yawning 
and  half  asleep,  sat  on  a  broken  box 
— his  little  pink  pajama  legs  peep- 
ing accusingly  from  beneath  his 
coat. 

"You'll  not  forget,  Marty,"  Mol- 
ly spoke  at  last,  drawing  on  her 
mittens  and  placing  her  toe  in  the 
stirrup,  "two  shots  means  'Send 
more  help.'  We'll  stop  at  the  Cor- 
ners and  get  the  Cameron  boys. 
Grandma  Cameron'll  send  Jim  in 
on  a  horse  to  have  the  church  bells 
ring;  three  shots  means,  'We've 
found  him.'  Fill  pans  with  snow 
and  don't  let  the  fire  go  down." 

Then  their  eyes  met.  In  an  in- 
stant she  was  sobbing  in  his  arms. 
The  children  crowded  around  with 
reassuring  hugs  and  cries  of  joy. 

"Pa,"  Dave  whispered  brokenly, 
"I'm  sorry — I  didn't  mean — to  talk 

Mention  "The  Improvement  Era"  when  you  patronize  advertisers. 


THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA,  DECEMBER,  1938 


The  Return 

of  Solomon  Crosley 

so  rude.     You  oughta  slapped  me 
twice." 

Marty  laid  her  brown  head 
against  his  arm.  "It's  me  that's  sor- 
ry. Pa.  I  never  meant  to  get  so 
cross  and  mean." 

Solomon  looked  from  one  to  the 
other. 

"Well,"  he  said  at  last  in  an  ef- 
fort to  clear  the  nightmare  from  his 
brain,  "The  team's  standin'  by  the 
house.  Go  drive  em  in,  boys;  bed 
all  the  horses  down  and  feed  'em 
well.  And  mind  ya,"  he  admonish- 
ed, "Unload  the  wagon  first.  Be 
careful  of  them  two  long  boxes,  fer 
I've  heard  tell  how  water  rusts  a 
gun  barrel  somethin'  terrible." 

The  boys  stood  like  stone  for  a 
split  second.  Then  with  whoops 
and  shrieks  and  catwails,  turned 
cartwheels,  leaped,  and  raced  to- 
ward the  house. 

"And  you,  miss,"  he  said,  pinch- 
ing his  daughter's  tearwet  cheeks, 
"You  go  see  they  don't  leave  out 
them  squarish  boxes.  Jennie  Crane 


says  old  rose  silk  shows  water  spots 
like  hog  fat.  I  hope  it  fits,"  he  called 
as  she  started  for  the  door.  "Jennie 
says  it's  a  forty-three — now,  may- 
be it  was  a  thirty-four." 

"Why,  Pa,"  she  scolded,  running 
back  to  pinch  him  playfully  on  the 
cheek,  "of  course  it's  a  thirty-four. 
It's  Grandma  Bowles  that  wears  a 
forty-three." 

"And  you,  Molly,  I've  things  fer 
you,"  he  whispered,  as  he  gathered 
Buddy's  drowsy  little  body  close 
within  his  arms.  "But  first,  I  want 
to  tell  you,  I've  deeded  Turner 
back  his  land  and  rights,  and  give 
him  'boot'  besides." 

"Oh,  Solomon,"  was  all  she  said; 
but  he  saw  the  faith  and  trust  re- 
kindle in  her  eyes.  Then,  as  one 
worthy  of  a  priceless  gift,  he  kissed 
the  little  curl  behind  her  ear. 

Arm  in  arm  they  walked  into  the 
night.  The  storm  had  ceased  and 
all  the  stars  were  out.  There,  in  the 
gay  galaxy  hung  his  star,  that,  like 
the  one  that  shone  over  Bethlehem 
Town,  had  led  him  to  a  stable  door 
where  he  had  found  again  that 
"Peace"  of  which  the  angels  sang. 


Leave  My  Spirit  Here 

Memorial  volume  of  the  Writings  of 

HARRISON  R.  MERRILL 

Fifty  poems,  articles,  stories,  that  preserve  something 
of  this  unique  man's  rich  personality. 


(Detach  and  Mail) 

Dr.  Vasco  M.  Tanner 
Brigham  Young  University 
Provo,  Utah 

Please  send  me  C.  O.  D _„.  copies  of 

LEAVE  MY  SPIRIT  HERE— Harrison  R.  Mer- 
rill Memorial  volume  at  $1.00  per  volume,  plus 
shipping  charges. 


Name 


Street  No. 
City   

State    


"L.  D.  S.  Training  Pays!" 

i 

You  Can  Make   ! 
This  Winter 
Count! 


A  few  months  of  intensive 
training  in  shorthand,  type- 
writing, bookkeeping,  ma- 
chine calculation,  business 
correspondence,  office  prac- 
tice, etc.,  will  qualify  you  for 
positions  that  offer  excellent 
possibilities  for  advancement. 

Success  comes  to  those  -who  are  will- 
ing to  pay  the  price — and  the  down 
payment    is    PREPARATION. 

May  we  tell  you  about  our  courses, 
rates  of  tuition,  employment  service, 
etc.?  Just  send  us  a  card,  or  call 
Wasatch  1812. 

I  L.  D.  S.  BUSINESS 


COLLEGE 

70  North  Main  Street 

Salt  Lake  City,  Utah 

Day  and  Evening  Classes 
All  the  Year 


763 


THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA,  DECEMBER,  1938 


|  CHOCOLATES  | 

jj  PERFECT  FOR  THE  jj 

jj  HOLIDAYS  jj 

?j  Only  the   very  best  materials  ft 

x  and     most     modern     methods  x 

Si  used.  x 

Q  Avoid  Disappointment    by   in-  x 

J  sisting  on  GLADE'S.  x 

5  GLADE  CANDY  CO.  5 

ft  Salt  Lake  City,  Utah  ft 


■ii  i        n— h— II—. ii-^-ii^ii— ii— it— ^w— — »«— »n— it 

I 
CHRISTMAS ...      I 

I    GIFT....  | 

!  ! 

To  those  who  are  away    i 
and    to    those   who    are 
home 

Give  an  ERA 

subscription 

See  coupon  page  705  I 


NOBODY  CAN 
STOP  LOSS. 

EVERYBODY 
CAN  AVOID 
IT  THROUGH 
INSURANCE 


When  you  come  here 
for  insurance  you  get  it, 
coupled  with  attentive, 
experienced  service.  This 
is  an  agency  of  the  Utah 
Home   Fire  Insurance  Co. 


UTAH  HOME  FIRE 
INSURANCE  CO. 

Heber  J.  Grant  &  Co. 

General  Agents 
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah 


PORTRAIT   OF   A   YOUNG   MAN 


(Continued  from  page  717) 

discovered  that  they  were  out  of  the  road 
and  that  they  would  have  run  me  in  a  ditch 
with  a  good  chance  of  turning  the  buggy 
and  my  family  out.  I  led  them  over  the 
bridge  and  got  in  again  and  drove  about 
half  way  from  Judd's  to  the  Bishop's  when 
my  off  horse  nearly  fell  down.  I  got  out 
again  and  found  that  the  team  was  again 
off  the  road  and  the  horse  had  slipped  in 
endeavoring  to  go  off  the  grade.  Got  in 
the  road  and  started  again.  Had  not  gone 
far  before  my  other  horse  nearly  fell  down. 
Did  not  get  out  but  turned  to  the  right  and 
when  I  got  it  about  where  I  thought  the 
road  was,  started  on  again.  I  was  walking 
very  slowly  for  fear  I  might  run  off  a 
small  bridge  a  short  distance  west  of  the 
Bishop's.  As  I  was  driving,  not  knowing 
what  minute  I  might  upset  the  buggy  and 
turn  my  wife  and  children  out,  a  flash  of 
lightning  came  and  I  saw  that  I  was  just 
at  the  bridge  and  about  to  cross  all  right. 
It  was  twenty  minutes  to  ten  when  I 
reached  the  Bishop's  and  I  had  been  over 
an  hour  coming  about  three  miles.  After 
I  got  my  team  in  the  barn  and  wife  and 
children  to  bed  I  got  a  lantern  and  started 
out  to  walk  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile 
to  see  if  mother  and  Sister  Hale  had  reach- 
ed his  place  in  safety.  I  found  they  had 
not  come,  so  we  went  to  Brother  Wrath- 
all's  and  woke  him  up,  and  got  the  team 
he  had  come  from  Quincy  with.  When  we 
reached  Brotner  Woolley's  we  learned  that 
the  folks  were  in  his  house  safe  and  sound. 


B 


A  Lover  of  Recreation 
esides  Church,  family,  and  busi- 
ness, Father  had  many  other  in- 
terests. As  a  young  man  he  had 
played  baseball  until  his  ambition 
of  being  on  a  championship  team 
was  reached.  After  his  marriage 
there  are  occasional  references  to  an 
informal  game,  such  as  the  entry  of 
March  21,  1881: 

Monday,  played  baseball  until  dinner 
time.  Dinner  with  Brother  Gowans.  Took 
the  train  for  Salt  Lake. 

His  journal  reveals  that  he  went 


to  the  theater  whenever  he  could, 
sometimes  when  he  could  see  only  a 
fraction  of  the  play  although  he 
seldom  gave  the  name  of  the  play. 
Among  the  plays  he  mentions  are: 
"A  Man  of  the  People,"  "The  Bank- 
er's Daughter,"  "Rosedale,"  and 
"Under  the  Gas  Lights." 

He  liked  to  shoot  with  his  friends; 
he  admired  fine  horses,  and  he  owned 
one.  A  few  paragraphs  show  this 
picture: 

Saturday,  December  25.  Christmas.  Met 
Clayton  and  Jos.  Barlow  at  office.  Went  to 
shooting  gallery  with  them — waxed  them 
both.  Spent  the  afternoon  at  Mother  String- 
ham's.  Evening  attended  the  theater, 
"Pique,"  by  Home  Dramatic  Co. 

Wednesday,  February  9.  Office  all  day. 
Apostle  Lyman  called.  Mrs.  E.  I.  Young 
sent  Grant  and  Clayton  some  oysters.  Eve- 
ning went  to  Jake  Heusser's  shooting  gal- 
lery with  Morgan  Grant,  J.  F.  Wells,  and 
N.  W.  Clayton  and  "did  some  consider- 
able shooting."  The  last  five  shots  were 
for  an  oyster  supper.  J.  F.  W.  lost.  Had 
oysters  at  Jim  Dinwoodey's. 

Monday,  January  24.  Stopped  over  night 
with  Geo.  Atkin.  Spent  a  pleasant  evening 
talking.  Geo.  Jr.  played  a  waltz  and  schot- 
tish  and  his  sister  and  I  danced. 

Wednesday,  Mar.  9.  Bank  all  day.  At- 
tended an  entertainment  in  Social  Hall  in  the 
evening.  It  was  for  the  benefit  of  the  18th 
Ward  new  meeting  house  and  Sunday 
School.  Farce  of  "My  Wife's  Bonnet," 
and  operetta  in  two  acts,  "A  Capital  Joke." 
Performance  was  a  good  one. 

Wednesday,  March  30.  Took  the  5:05 
train  for  my  brother  Hyrum's  to  get  my 
horse,  Frank  Rand.  We  left  Woods  Cross 
at  7  o'clock.  About  a  mile  from  my  broth- 
er's house  the  horse  became  frightened  at  a 
fire  in  the  road  and  ran  at  a  lively  rate  with 
us  for  about  one-eighth  of  a  mile,  broke  the 
front  spring  of  the  buggy,  but  as  it  was  quite 
dark  we  did  not  discover  it  until  the  next 
morning.  Brother  Clayton  and  I  certainly 
had  cause  to  be  thankful  that  the  spring 
had  not  come  down  on  us  .  .  .  We  traveled 
about  nine  and  a  half  miles  after  the  accident. 

Wednesday,  April  13.     I  took  a  buggy 


THE   NATIVE    BLOOD 


764 


( Continued  from  page  723 ) 
Eltceesie,  with  her  long  full  skirt 
indispensable  to  the  modest  nature 
of  every  Navajo  girl,  glided  nim- 
bly through  the  brush  in  spite  of 
this  hobbling  handicap.  Nature  had 
given  her  feet  and  limbs  to  run,  it 
had  given  her  hands  and  heart  to 
work  on  and  on  and  on  with  never 
a  thought  of  quitting  till  the  task 
was  finished.  Her  sun-faded  hair, 
tied  in  a  little  bob  at  the  back  of 
her  head  with  a  cotton  string,  and 
her  black  velvet  shirt,  were  a  proud 
part  of  her  necessary  appearance. 
Her  round,  childish  face  was  the 
most  pleasing  feature  in  all  Peejo's 
dreary  vision  of  brush  and  sand. 
From  the  monotony  of  gray  hills 
and  dry  ravines  his  eyes  wandered 


ever  back  to  hers  as  the  one  relief 
in  the  heartless  landscape.  With 
the  blood  of  game  ancestors  in  his 
boyish  veins,  he  scorned  to  let  the 
little  shepherdess  even  dream  he 
was  still  weak  from  fighting  with 
the  monster  which  had  destroyed 
his  father's  family.  It  was  the  red 
pulse  of  splendid  invincibility  and 
nothing  else  that  was  bringing  him 
slowly  back  to  his  former  fitness. 
He  should  have  been  resting  still 
on  the  sheepskin  by  the  fire.  But  not 
he — not  Peejo  to  sit  meekly  where 
Yoinsnez  could  frown  the  same 
hateful  challenge  he  had  frowned 
at  Husteele  because  he  knew  Hus- 
teele  was  a  better  man  than  he 
himself! 

[To  be  Continued) 


Let  these  advertisers  know  you  appreciate  their  support  by  telling  them  when  you  buy. 


THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA,  DECEMBER,  1938 


Portrait  of  a  Young  Man 

ride  in  evening.  .  .  .  While  riding  we  met 
Thos.  W.  Jennings,  and  his  friend  Henry 
Tribe  from  Ogden.  Thomas  had  his  $500.00 
horse.  We  gave  him  a  little  trot;  found  no 
difficulty  in  walking  away  with  his  "fast 
or  high  stepper." 

In  looking  over  Father's  letter 
books  of  1880  and  1881,  I  find  more 
personal  letters  to  his  cousin,  An- 
thony W.  Ivins,  than  to  any  one 
else.  Despite  their  living  so  far 
apart  they  kept  in  close  touch  with 
one  another.  In  one  of  these  letters 
he  speaks  of  his  horse: 

September  24,  1881 
Dear   Cousin   Tony: 

I  received  yours  of  the  19th  inst.  yes- 
terday. Pleased  to  learn  that  you  are  all 
well.  With  the  exception  of  slight  coughs 
we  are  well.  I  certainly  hope  you  will  find 
that  mine  you  are  hunting  for.  I  would  not 
object  to  having  you  locate  a  few  hundred 
thousand  feet  for  me,  provided  of  course 
that  none  of  the  ore  went  less  than  the 
piece  you  assayed.  I  must  confess  I  have 
never  had  much  faith  in  mines,  but  then 
I  had  unbounded  faith  in  Vinegar  Works, 
and  I  trust  for  your  sake  that  I  shall  not 
be  as  badly  off  on  mines  as  I  have  been 
in  vinegar. 

You  wrote  me  that  you  expected  to  visit 
Salt  Lake  in  October.  Have  you  given  up 
coming?  The  Fair  starts  next  Monday 
week.  Come  along,  old  boy,  I  am  sure  you 
will  live  just  as  long  if  you  should  stop 
hard  work  long  enough  to  make  a  visit. 
There  is  going  to  be  a  race  between  my 
horse  and  three  others,  October  6.  Should 
like  to  have  you  see  it.  Hyrum  made  the 
race  while  I  was  in  Idaho. 

Driving  Park  Association  gives  the  first 
horse  $50;  the  second  horse  $50.  Each  horse 
puts  up  $50,  all  to  go  to  the  first  horse. 
Hyrum  is  living  on  the  track,  works  the 
horse  night  and  morning.  He  feels  confi- 
dent of  success.  The  horse  ran  away  with 
him  in  a  sulky  about  ten  days  ago  and  if 
he  had  not  had  presence  of  mind  enough 
to  drop  the  lines  and  throw  his  weight  on 
the  sulky-wheel  which  was  in  the  air,  he 
might  have  got  a  broken  neck,  leg,  or  some- 
thing else,  I  am  almost  afraid  that  that  horse 
will  kill  someone  before  he  gets  off  my 
hands. 

Lucy  sends  love  to  yourself  and  Libbie, 
and  all  her  friends  and  relatives. 

With  best  wishes  for  yourself  and  all 
of  the  folks,  I  remain,  your  cousin, 

H.  J.  Grant 

The  following  entry  shows  that 
Father  took  his  part  in  other  types 
of  activity: 

Monday,  July  4.  At  10  o'clock  went  to 
the  meeting  house  with  family.  The  fol- 
lowing program  was  carried  out:  Singing, 
■choir;  prayer,  Ben  Chaplin  and  Thos.  Lee, 
Sr.;  singing,  E.  Bowman  and  assistants; 
reading  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence, 
H.  J.  Grant;  oration  by  Lysander  Gee; 
Declamation,  Shamus  O'Brien,  H.  J.  Grant; 
song,  H.  S.  Gowans;  speech,  John  Row- 
berry;  singing,  E.  Bowman  and  assistants, 
and  music  by  Martial  Band  was  interspersed 
between  speeches.  Ben  Chaplin,  T.  A.  At- 
kins, Sr. 

(Continued  on  page  767) 


A  ROYAL  DESSERT 
FOR  THE  HOLIDAYS 


You  really  couldn't 
make  a  better  choice 
of  dessert  to  add  hol- 
iday cheer  to  your 
table  than  by  serv- 
ing   Royal    Desserts. 

In  addition  to  their 
attractive,  colorful 
appearance,  they  add 
variety  to  your  fare 
and  give  distinction 
to   your  menu. 

• 

Get  some  packages 
of  Royal  Gelatin  Des- 
serts in  these  seven 
delicious  fruit  flavors 
—  Orange,  Lemon, 
Lime,  Raspberry, 
Strawberry,  Cherry 
and  Pineapple.  Al- 
so include  on  your 
shopping  list  Royal 
Chocolate,  Vanilla 
and  Butterscotch 
Puddings.  And  don't 
forget  Royal  Salad 
Gelatin  with  the 
meat-like  flavor  for 
those  grand,  main- 
course  dishes  and 
salads. 


University  Training  Is  At  Its  Best 

January  3— March  17, 1939 

Greater  cultural  opportunities:  dramas,  concerts,  opera. 

Wider  choice  of  courses,  taught  by  an  enlarged  faculty. 

Unexcelled  offering  of  recitals  and  lectures  by  famous  musicians 
and  speakers. 

More  students  enroll  in  Winter  Quarter  than  any  other  term. 
LEADERSHIP  WEEK:   JANUARY  23-27 

BRIGHAM  YOUNG  UNIVERSITY 

PROVO,  UTAH 


iff-  n 


\ 


ML~ 


is  more  than  oil-changing 


Iconocoi 


GERM  PROCESSED  OIL 


fiW 


mm**. 


765 


THE     IMPROVEMENT    ERA,     DECEMBER,    1938 

Solution  to  November  Puzzle  Scriptural  Crossword  Puzzle-The  Law  Repeated  (Deut.  1:1) 


YUUTIDS  CH££R 


(Do  yDJJL  C/jdtlUL 

Enrich  Them  With  Selected 

L^hrtsttnas 
(greetings . . . 

Choose  from  the  most  At- 
tractive Assortment  in 
Town 

Printed     with    your    own 

personal  sentiment  and 

name 

Now  on  display  at 

The  Deseret 
News  Press 

33  Richards  Street 

&<Z£/o  S^QjC^o  S^JjC^o  &<L&o  tf"CS?/o  5^£-/o  &~(£&c 

766 


ACROSS 


1  Work 

7  The  wife  successively  of  two  sons 
of  Judah  Gen.  38:  6 

12  "And  he  wrote  .  .  .  the  tables" 

13  "which  I  command  thee  ...  day" 

15  "The  Lord  is  on  my  .  .  ." 

16  The  true  olives 

18  He  shows  trained  skill 
20  The  one  river  of  Palestine 

22  "which  I  speak  .  .  .  your  ears" 

23  "Hear,  O  Israel,  .  .  .  statutes" 

25  "Israel    is    an    empty  .  .  ."    Hos. 

10:  1 

26  Enemy 

28  "behold  the  ...  of  Canaan" 

29  "all  the  words  .  .  .  this  law" 

30  Son  of  the  eldest  daughter  of  33 

across  Gen.  19:  37 

33  Nephew  of  Ahram  Gen.  12:  5 

34  "A  land  wherein  thou   shalt  .  .  . 

bread  without  any  scarceness" 


37  "then  .  .  .  men  to  call  upon   the 

name  of  the  Lord" 
39  "And  .  .  .  called    all    Israel,    and 

said  unto  them" 

41  Note;  state 

42  ".  .  .  the  first  day  of  the  month" 

43  River  (Sp.) 

44  "talked  with  you  face  .  .  .  face" 
46  "I  will  .  .  .  the  decree" 

49  ".  .  .  it  therefore  in  your  hearts" 
52  Body  of  mineral 

54  "Ye  have  dwelt  long  enough   in 

.  .  .  mount" 

55  "all  the  words  of  this  ...  to  do 

them" 

56  System  of  weights 

57  Oil 

Our  Text  from  Deuteronomy  is  12, 
13,  15,  20,  22,  23,  28,  29,  30,  37, 
39,  44,  46,  54,  and  55  combined 


DOWN 


2  Game  31 

3  Weaken  32 

4  "as  it  is  .  .  .  this  day"  35 

5  Attendant;  neath  (anag.)  36 

6  Goddess  of  healing  (Teut.  Myth.) 

8  Animal  that  spoke  to  Balaam  38 

9  Kind  of  glove  39 

10  Bad  ending  40 

11  Interpret;    reversed,     a    town  of       43 

Judah  Josh.  15:  21  45 

14  "For  I  know  thy  rebellion  and  thy       46 

.  .  .  neck"  47 

16  Oasis  (Southwestern  U.  S.)  48 

17  Masculine  name  Neh.  10:  16  49 
19  Daughter  of  Cadmus  (Gr.  Myth.)  50 
21  Relating  to  certain  mountains  51 
24  Babylonian  deity  53 

27  Printer's  measure  55 

28  Having  rounded  divisions 

29  Part  of  the  Bible 


Unfold 

"when  thou  walkest  .  .  .  the  way" 

Article  in  Canaan 

"The  .  .  .  hath  said  in  his  heart, 

There  is  no  God" 
".  .  .  in  and  possess  the  land" 
".  .  .  that  mar  the  land" 
"tithe  all  the  increase  of  thy  .  .  ." 
Note 
Attar 
Pulpit 

".  .  .  for  the  day!" 
English  poet;  wore  (anag.) 
"I  have  .  .  .  the  land  before  you" 
"and  with  all  .  .  .  might" 
Long  Island 

"the  mother  of  all  living" 
"and,  .  .  .  ,  I  am  with  you  alway, 

even  unto  the  end  of  the  world" 


THE     IMPROVEMENT     ERA,     DECEMBER,     1938 


PORTRAIT   OF   A   YOUNG  MAN 


(Continued  from  page  765) 

A  Friend  and  a  Maker  of 
Friends 

As  I  view  the  picture  of  Father's 
life  as  revealed  by  his  writing,  I 
am  impressed  by  the  many  expres- 
sions of  deep  gratitude  for  the  kind- 
ness of  the  Saints,  and  his  appreci- 
ation for  the  fine  men  who  helped 
him  in  his  work.  No  one  could  have 
been  more  solicitous  than  was  Apos- 
tle Francis  M.  Lyman,  who  preceded 
him  as  stake  president.  He,  more 
than  any  other  friend,  realized  what 
it  meant  to  Father  to  be  called  into 
a  strange  stake  to  preside,  for  Broth- 
er Lyman's  home  had  been  in  Mil- 
lard when  a  similar  call  had  come  to 
him.  Father  tells  of  the  wise  counsel 
Brother  Lyman  always  gave  him. 
President  Lyman  advised  him  to  be- 
gin keeping  a  journal.  He  persuaded 
Father  to  grow  a  beard,  telling  him 
it  would  make  him  look  older  and 
more  dignified.  Father  comments 
on  Brother  Lyman: 

Sunday,  Jan.  9,  1881.  At  10  o'clock  met 
with  Brother  Lyman  in  the  vestry  of  the 
meeting  house  to  organize  the  prayer 
circles.  Brother  Lyman  gave  a  great  amount 
of  good  instruction,  asked  the  brethren 
many  questions  before  they  could  be  re- 
ceived in  the  circle.  A  good  spirit  pre- 
vailed. In  fact  I  have  never  attended  a 
meeting  before  in  my  life  at  which  I  felt 
so  happy  and  contented. 

Those  instructions  on  prayer, 
briefly  summarized  in  the  "Journa^ 
of  H.  J.  Grant"  are  well  worth  recall- 
ing and  perpetuating: 

Must  sustain  authorities  of  Church  and 
stake. 

Have  fellowship  with  each  other. 

Be  willing  to  keep  commandments  of  the 
Lord. 

Must  not  let  hard  feelings  come  between 
you — fix  matter  up  before  the  sun  shall  go 
down. 

Clean,    pure,    and    holy. 

Clean  in  body  and  mind — Room  clean. 
No  strong  drink.     Tobacco  not  to  be  used. 

No  joking,  nonsense,  light-mindedness,  or 
frivolity. 

Pray  in  earnest — no  wandering  of  mind. 

Fill  heart  of  him  who  shall  pray. 

Pray  for  each  other  and  all  Church  and 
local  authorities. 

For  young  people  to  check  hoodlumism 
and  become  prepared  to  hold  the  Priest- 
hood. 

Spirit  of  Lord  much  more  sensitive  than 
we  and  more  easily  offended. 

When  we  come  properly,  prayer  ascends 
with  concentration  and  unity  that  cannot 
be  denied. 

Do  not  have  set  form  of  prayer  or  speech, 
speak  the  sentiments  of  your  heart.  Change 
the  prayers  at  home.  Repeated  over  and 
over  family  get  tired.  Children  will  drink 
in  the  spirit  of  your  prayers. 

Refrain  from  anger. 

Devoted  to  interest  of  education  not  only 
in  letters,  art,  and  science  but  in  theology. 

Live  to  have  spirit  of  Lord  at  all  times, 
so  that  prayers  may  be  answered. 


Ask  God  to  judge.  Forgive  everybody, 
so  that  you  may  be  forgiven. 

Even  when  Father  was  in  his  of- 
fice in  Salt  Lake,  Brother  Lyman 
would  drop  in  for  a  brief  visit,  or 
go  to  the  home  of  Father's  mother 
for  a  meal  or  to  spend  the  night. 

Hugh  Gowans,  Thos.  W.  Lee, 
John  Rowberry,  Jas.  Wrathall,  Bish- 
ops Atkins  and  Hunter,  and  so  many 
others  that  it  is  scarcely  fair  to  men- 
tion names,  were  to  the  end  of  their 
lives  among  Father's  staunchest  and 
dearest  friends.  And  he  was  their 
friend,  giving  service  whenever 
needed.  His  journal  of  July,  1881, 
records  an  instance: 

Wednesday,  July  20.  Got  up  at  6  a,  m. 
and  went  to  the  office.  I  endeavored  to 
find  some  one  going  to  Grantsville,  as  I 
wished  to  send  Sister  Hunter  some  medi- 
cine that  I  should  have  sent  her  while  in 
Tooele.  Failed  to  find  anyone  so  I  took 
the  4:55  train  for  Lake  Point,  having  first 
telegraphed  Brother  Gowans  to  have  my 
team  meet  me.  Was  met  by  Richard  Lyman. 
We  drove  to  Grantsville,  found  Sister 
Hunter  very  bad.  I  sat  up  with  her  until 
1  a.  m.  Gave  her  medicine  every  hour. 
She  felt  much  better  when  I  retired. 

Father's  journal  shows  that  he  at- 
tended Sunday  School  and  Mutual 
almost  every  week.  He  had  been  in 
office  a  month  when  he  writes: 

Sunday,  November  29,  E.  T.  City.  At- 
tended Sunday  School  and  afternoon  meet- 
ing— also  attended  the  Y.  M.  M.  I.  A. 
in  the  evening.  Spoke  at  each  meeting  and 
at  Sunday  School.  Spoke  25  minutes  at  the 
afternoon  meeting  which  was  about  twice 
as  long  as  I  ever  spoke  at  any  one  time 
before  in  my  life. 

The  call  to  be  a  stake  president 
had  made  a  great  change  in  Father's 
life,  but  he  put  his  whole  soul  into 
the  work,  and  from  it  reaped  divi- 
dends of  joy.  At  the  end  of  the  first 
year  he  writes: 

The  year  has  been  one  of  prosperity, 
health  and  happiness  to  myself  and  family. 
I  have  been  greatly  blessed  and  feel  truly 
grateful  to  God  for  His  kindness  .to  me  and 
mine.  I  hope  to  continue  faithful,  so  as 
to  merit  a  continuation  of  His  goodness  to 
me  and  mine. 


MAIM  gTTREET 

A  delightful  book  of  verse  on 
early  pioneer  life 

By 
RACHEL  BARNEY  TAFT 

An  appropriate  Gift  for  any  0 1    f|  n 
member  of  the  Family  V  I  iUU 

DESERET  BOOK  CO. 

44  East  South  Temple 
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah 


BOYD 
MUNCIE 


The 

BOOK  of  LIFE 

Was  Worth  *500.00 
to  This  Boy! 

Really  it  was  worth  much  more  to  him 
and  can  be  worth  much  more  to  you  and 
your  children  because  it  is  impossible 
to  put  a  money  value  on  the  knowledge, 
culture  and  Christian  ideals  obtained 
from  this  great  work. 


I C TORY 

For  All  the  Family 

Boyd  Muncie,  pictured  above,  won  a 
$500.00  prize  in  a  recent  American 
Youth  Forum  Contest  sponsored  by  the 
American  Magazine.  This  youthful  au- 
thor's mother  writes: 

"Boyd's  poem  was  on  the  assigned 
topic,  'My  Hope  for  America',  and 
was  modeled  after  the  Psalms.  He  used 
the  Bible  Poetry  Volume  of  'The  Book 
of  Life'  in  his  preparation.  In  fact  both 
my  boys  have  read  the  entire  set. 
It  certainly  has  helped  me  to  meet 
my  responsibility  to  my  boys." 
— Mrs.  Nina  B.  Muncie,  Oklahoma. 

Reveals  the  Whole  Bible 

The  just  pride  of  this  mother  in  her  sons 
can  be  yours  too.  Here  is  the  secret  of 
VICTORIOUS  LIVING.  Religious  and 
educational  leaders,  ministers,  mothers 
and  fathers  by  the  thousands,  praise 

r*7X*  Hook  ojj  JZifie 

as  the  best  Bible  -  centered  plan  foi 
Christian  character  development. 

JOHN  RUDIN  &  CO.  INC. 

CHICAGO     •      ILLINOIS 


□ 
□ 


JOHN  RUDIN  &  CO.  INC. 

1018  S.  Wabash  Ave.,  Dept  M.  E. 

Chicago,  111. 


Please  send  me  information  oi  THE  VICTORY 
EDITION  of  THE  BOOK  OF  LIFE. 
I  should  like  to  consider  a  position  with  youx 
Company.  Please  send  me  copy  of  your  book- 
let "Opportunity  For  Christian  Leadership." 


My  Nam* 
Address- 


767 


LET'S  SAY  IT  CORRECTLY 

Good  is  an  adjective  and  is  used  to  modify  either  nouns  or 
pronouns:     He  had  a  good  time;  she  is  a  good  girl;  I  feel 
good  about  that. 

Well  is  an  adverb  and  is  used  to  modify  a  verb;  and  it  is  also 
an  adjective  and  may  modify  a  noun  or  pronoun:  He  did  his 
work  well  (adverb);  he  is  well  (adjective);  she  looks  well  in 
that  dress  (adjective). 

TO  THE  EDITORS  AND  CONTRIBUTORS  OF 
THE  IMPROVEMENT  ERA       „ 

Dear  Brethren  and  Sisters: 

I  Wish  to  express  my  appreciation  to  you  for  the  splendid 
reading  matter  that  comes  to  the  Latter-day  Saints  each 
month  in  the  Era,  including  the  fine  articles  written  by  our 
leaders  who  are  inspired  to  give  us  the  things  we  need  in  the 
day  in  which  we  live. 

May  the  magazine  get  better  as  it  has  in  the  past  is  the 
sincere  desire  of  your  brother — 

William  H.  Young, 

Route  No.  4,  Box  310, 

Tucson,  Arizona. 

FROM  THE  "FIRING  LINE" 

Valdemarsgade  2 
Aalborg,  Denmark 

I  think  I'll  take  this  opportunity  to  express  the  appreciation 
of  all  the  missionaries  here  for  The  Improvement  Era  which 
we  receive  with  much  joy  every  month.  We  look  forward 
to  its  coming  with  much  anticipation.  I  appreciate  the  help 
and  instructions  we  receive  from  its  pages.  We  only  wish 
that  we  could  have  it  translated  into  the  Danish  language  so 
that  our  Saints  here  could  receive  the  same  wonderful  en- 
couragement and  instruction.  Please  accept  our  hearty  con- 
gratulations for  the  fine  work  you  are  doing.  The  Era  is  truly 
"The  Voice  of  the  Church"  and  a  "Magazine  for  Every  Mem- 
ber of  the  Family." 

Most  sincerely  yours, 

Don  R.  Christensen, 


FROM  ONE  OF  US  "OUT  THERE" 

September  17,  1938. 
Brethren: 

THE  program  of  the  Church  is  so  extensive  and  is  moving 
forward    so    rapidly    that   it    is    impossible    to    keep    in 
intelligent  touch  with  it  without  the  Era. 
It  is  at  once  a  necessity  and  inspiration. 
Enclosed  herewith  is  my  check  for  two  dollars  ($2.00)   for 
which  please  renew  my  subscription.    Please  send  the  magazine 
to  my  residence: 

Indianapolis,  Indiana. 
With  best  wishes,  I  am 

Sincerely  yours, 
(Signed)  Ernest  E.  Owens. 

CERTAINLY  NO  WORSE 

Landlady:     "I  think  you  had  better  board  elsewhere." 
Boarder:     "Yes,  I  often  had." 
Landlady:     "Often  had  what?" 
Boarder:     "Had  better  board  elsewhere." 

<$ 


Politician:     "Congratulate  me,  Dear;  I  got  the  nomination." 

Wife:      "Honestly!" 

Politician:     "Why  bring  that  up?" 

• — Selected. 

GOOD  TURN 

Boy  Scout  (to  elderly  lady):  "May  I  accompany  you 
across  the  street,  madam?" 

Elderly  Lady:  "Certainly,  sonny.  How  long  have  you 
been  waiting  here  for  somebody  to  take  you  across?" 


OUT  OF  ORDER 

Impatient  Customer:  "Can't  you  wait  on  me?  Two  pounds 
of  liver.    I'm  in  a  hurry." 

Butcher:  "Sorry,  Madam,  but  two  or  three  are  ahead  of 
you.     You  surely  don't  want  your  liver  out  of  order!" 

NAMING  THE  BABY 


Impatient  Man  (outside  telephone  booth) :  "Can  I  help  you 
find  the  number  you  want?" 

Young  Woman  (sweetly) :  "Oh,  I  don't  want  a  number. 
I'm  looking  for  a  pretty  name  for  my  baby." — Selected. 


-$- 


Hill:     "So  tomorrow  is  your  wedding  anniversary.    What 
do  you  expect  to  get  for  your  wife?" 

Gill:     "I  don't  know.    I  haven't  had  any  offers." 

SUPPLY  AND  DEMAND 

Teacher:     "Who  is  the  smartest  man  living?" 

Pupil:     "Thomas  A.  Edison — he  invented  the  phonograph 

and  improved  the  radio  so  people  would  stay  up  all  night  and 

use  his  electric  light  bulbs." 

DAD  KNOWS 

"Dad,  when  has  a  man  horse  sense?" 
"When  he  can  say,  'nay,'  my  son." 

FICTION  NOTE 

All  fairy  tales  do  not  begin  with,  "Once  upon  a  time;"  some 
begin,  "I'll  be  working  late  at  the  office." 

SOLD  OUT 

"I  see  you  are  always  at  the  bottom  of  the  class — can't  you 
get  another  place?" 

"No!     All  the  others  are  taken." 

HOW  ABOUT  DURING? 

"When  is  the  best  time  to  see  Mr.  Smith?" 
"Well,  that's  hard  to  say.     He's  grouchy  until  he  has  his 
lunch,  and  afterward  he  has  indigestion." 


^>- 


First  Golfer:     "What  is  your  handicap?" 
Second  Golfer:      "A  wife  and  eight   children." 

— Selected. 

THE  REAL  BANDIT 

Bob:      "I  hear  they  caught  one  of  those  hotel  robbers. 
Job:     "That  so?     What  hotel  did  he  run?" 


768 


ft  ..  M 


fK        %. 


456,280  PEOPLE 

VOTED  FOR  KSL 

and  the 
DESERET  NEWS 

The  Deseret  News,  fostering  devel- 
opment of  amateur  entertainment, 
chose  KSL  as  the  medium  to  publicize 
a  "Search  for  Talent  Contest".  In  thirty 
weeks,  456,280  people  voted  for  their 
favorite  amateurs! 

That's  response!  Votes  came  from 
sixteen  states  and  Canada.  Many  of 
the  1 640  contestants  auditioned  for  the 
program  found  employment  through 
the  contest.  The  Deseret  News  made 
friends.  The  program  provided  enter- 
tainment. 

So  successful  was  the  program  idea, 
that  the  Deseret  News  now  continues 
the  "Search  for  Talent"  on  a  larger 
scale  than  ever  before.  Both  profes- 
sionals and  amateurs  compete.  Utah's 
progressive  afternoon  newspaper  offers 
cash,  a  trip  to  Hollywood  and  other 
honors  for  contestants. 

You,  again,  decide  the  winners!  Tune 
to  the  Deseret  News  "Search  for  Tal- 
ent" program  .  .  .  Saturdays  at  6  p.  m. 


Above,  part  of  the  capacity  crow.d  of  2400  witnessing  "Search  for  Talent"  finals  in  the  Salt  Lake  t 
sembly  Hall.  Below,  amateur  clarinetists  play  to  both  the  visible  and  unseen  audience  as  other  c< 
testants  wait  for  their  microphone  appearance.  Ralph  Hardy,  announcer,  is  standing.  WUby  D 
ham,  Deseret  News  program  producer  is  seated,  center,  and  Gene  Halliday,  KSL  Music  Direct 
is  seated  at  the  extreme  top. 


KSL 

Salt  Lake  City'*  50,000  Watt 
Clear  Channel  Affiliate  of 
the  Columbia  Broadcasting 
System 


^^s^pSSg 


Vf 


■ft 


> 


i  "■• 


A 


<*- 


■^ 


,4*K 


£a 


o 


fi 


o 


if 


'•<** 


i^^ife^: 


«SSR 


MaBimTiEda 


COAPANT 


Home  Office— Beneficial  Life  Building.  Salt  Lake  City,   Utah 

HEBER   J.    GRANT.    RREsioent 


HER    J.    J.      GRT.     ES'DE